Shadow Revelations II: Jeopardized Future
by SpaceStationNo5
Summary: Shadow & Rouge leave to save the world & place their babies under the care of Tails & Amy. Sonic is under Robotnik's hypnotic control & is his only hope of keeping the even more powerful elites from capturing him. Figures surface from far & wide, from previous adventures, & more upset than ever before. WARNING: Contains Adult Scenarios, Excessive Violence, Adult Themes, & Shadouge.
1. Turning It On Again (Pouring My Love In)

"Shadow!" Rouge shouts out to her hubby while holding some letters. Rouge has just returned from retrieving the mail from the mailbox outside.

"Shhhhhh… I just got Maria and Jarrell back to sleep. They have our stamina for sure." Shadow hushes Rouge as he slinks over and gives her a hug with a loving kiss before he starts feeling up his wife. "They definitely are our babies, Rouge." Rouge almost submits to Shadow's touch due to her heightened sensitivity that comes with child-rearing but she manages to swats away Shadow's hands with the letters in her hand. Shadow takes one particular letter and looks at it with curious eyes.

"Top Secret… Critical Urgency…" Shadow reads aloud before opening the letter. The letter reads as follows…

Dear Shadow and Rouge,

Your skills are urgently needed; I am currently at the rebuilt Prison Island waiting for you two. Go to Clausen Air Force Base where our men will give you a speedy flight to the destination. I'm counting on you! Make sure you tuck in your newborns.

Sincerely,

The G.U.N. Commander

"I guess we need to return to our job." Rouge groans because she has her babies on her mind, "Why did I want to have children?"

"Because you wanted them, you love them, and they certainly love you." Shadow answers his spouse's question before he starts pawing and smooching all over her. Rouge dampens her clothes from being turned on by Shadow's playing. Rouge begins to grow weak at the legs and her breasts begin to lactate from being squeezed by Shadow.

"You… ah… just say the right things don't you?" Rouge compliments Shadow as she starts moaning from being touched by her lover, Shadow's erotic feel gets Rouge ready for blissful mating. "You got me wet… I need to change… I can't go like this… and to think I wanted to dress professionally…"

"Professionals don't worry about dress." Shadow says as continues his fondling, Rouge does her best not to submit, but she fails to resist Shadow and her soggy undergarments doesn't help her out at all. She knew she couldn't stop him anyway despite her vain attempt to do so. Rouge loves her Shadow and she's in heat once again, ready for Shadow to reseed her fertile body…

We will be going on a long ride…

Long drives…

Line drives…

Pile driving until it's no longer possible to drill you.

Shifting you into high-speed with a full-view.

Gripping and strapping myself for full throttle as I power on.

You turn me on.

You make me alive.

I dive and rise while you cry out with a guilt-ridden shrive.

You are love.

You are joy.

You are the size of a toy.

But even you prove that love is graded by how much you care.

While lust notes that it's leveled by how much I tear.

I delve deeper into your soft spot.

You seem to enjoy this even though it's painful and you're getting hot.

But please be ashamed not.

You're the one I'll assist and protect from weather and time.

We're not governed by the bounds of rust and Lyme.

You're starting to cry…

Is my affection such a crime?

Is it that your seal is being forcefully torn?

But I'll prize and adorn you forever and ever.

You are love.

You are joy.

You're the size of a toy.

But it isn't what you are or how you look is what makes me feel like a boy,

It's how you make me whole,

It's how you make me sharp instead of dull,

You make me feel like I've conquered all,

We we're almost destroyed by everything that they could throw at us,

But the heart of rock & roll still beats on & they may be jealous,

But they will never touch us, and that's why…

You are the greatest wife and an even greater mother of my children,

Rouge, I'll always love you.

It's been almost six months since Shadow & Rouge reunited; Shadow's become much more adjusted to being a dad and is even decent at the basics of parenting. Rouge is proud of Shadow and is glad to have him as a mate let alone return safely to her side. But will Shadow lose his mind once Rouge or his babies are placed in danger?


	2. DCs Desert Journal (Jan 2 4005)

Jan. 2, 4005

I don't get why I write these things, I'll eventually have to eliminate this anyway. So here it goes…

The last few months have been very unusual indeed. Robots from the sky… UFOs trying to crash into me… what could all this mean? The sands are lifeless, but there is a mystery to them… one that nobody could ever answer. The feeble will never grasp the hidden treasures and mystique that comes with the desert.

On Sep. 19, 4004; using a 14.5mm anti-tank rifle, I managed to pick off some aerial robots. According to what I seen through my scope, they were escorting a man known as Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Yes, I seen him, but I couldn't pick him off in time. I would've been a world hero if I did succeed.

Later that same day, a motorcyclist bulleted by me at an amount of speed I still cannot bear to fathom.

Then, on the night of Oct. 4, 4004; a UFO had crashed right behind my truck. Even with an all mechanical, electronic free, drive train & parts; my truck became stranded by an entity within the UFO I refer to as 'Miss Universe' due to using romantic songs by groups such as Barry Manilow, Gloria Estefan, & The Police, as a means to communicate to me via voice mixing to create a message which I understood as a call for help for transportation. I still have the UFO on the back of the truck, which I sent down to B4 (Basement 4) of my massive underground complex, which I've constructed with a mixture of paranoia and mostly sheer boredom that normally comes with the emptiness that comes with the desert. I put the truck down there for safety reasons, where it sits in-between an incomplete MiG-25 interceptor and the complex's generator, an EMD 710 railroad engine. I also sent the robots to that same floor for the same reasons.

Ever since those robots and UFO have showed up, I've had some very unusual happenings since then.

Back in Dec. 14, 4004; I was returning to home and parking my car, I just shut off my car when I heard a rumbling noise from underneath me and felt the ground vibrate beneath my feet; the complex's generator automatically started and began to generate power. I have no auto-start mechanisms or devices that this machine uses. I ran down the stairs because I didn't want to chance myself with the elevators. I was more than breaking a sweat by the time I got down to that floor, by then, the engine was acting like it was trying to keep up with a high-demand of power. I looked about the V-20 diesel and found nothing that could have started it. I furthered my investigation by searching the entire floor until for reasons that still elude me, the incomplete MiG-25's electronics activated automatically just as the generator did earlier. The plane's electronics were acting up; it was unusual for it to even receive power. The upgraded LCD screen started to flash text and numbers of any language that was in its programming. As I was watching the screen, I knew one word that flashed on the screen next to a visual of the freight elevator's doors, "ARM". Once I seen that three letter word, I began to realize what was happening, something's wanting out of here. I jumped out of the aircraft and ran over to the diesel generator where I began to attempt to shut it off, but no conventional way was working. I concluded that I had to sabotage the generator's electronic fuel injection.

I ran over to the fuel pump and shut it off by unplugging it, but that didn't work. So how I finally shut the engine off was by demolishing the fuel pump by shooting it with a shotgun loaded with slugs. I hastily proceed to shoot the fuel pump rapidly by slam firing the gun, therefore breaking the pump and shutting off the engine. After the fuel pump's destruction, the whole room returned to silence, but the lights were still on due to being on a separate circuit. I still haven't figured out what entirely happened that day. I have the parts to fix the generator, but I refuse to go through with the repair unless I can for sure prevent the auto-star event that took place. The only thing I figured out was that the MiG-25 was still plugged into a nearby computer which I must have left and forgot about. But even with that bit of evidence it doesn't make any sense why I had to resort to demolishing my own generator. And what wants to leave? Is there something inside that UFO still?

Now here we are today… I wonder what's going to happen today. I hope nothing exciting, of which I am going to take a very unexciting nap. I have a friend's funeral to attend to later in the week.

From The Mirror Man,

Sergeant First Class (Retired) Dennison Crosley


	3. Führen Sie Kein Failover Mich Jetzt

Far away from Earth's proximity, a starship of unknown origin looms around Saturn on cruise control. The starship is drastically contrasting in comparison to what the populace believes one should look like; the Earth population believes a U.F.O. is, a flying saucer. The alien craft sharply voids that idea by the large use of sharp angles and line patterns that glow with a ghostly blue illumination. Within this angular spacecraft, the aliens are very different in physical build and capability…

"Your actions on Earth are near-unforgivable, Reggi-Siya." A thin, pasty white alien with cat-like ears says to a blue echidna that's on the operating table who is getting patched up after being wounded on Earth, "I will grant you one more chance, do not fail me Reggie."

"Giyo, I want to see my daughter." The blue echidna pleas, but the alien isn't turned by the begging, "I want to see her again, I gave her life. She came from within me. Isn't that logical enough?"

"That is true Reggi-Siya, but she mustn't become corrupted by someone who's biased such as you." The alien answers to the echidna's plea musingly, "Rain-Guia is her own self even though she is our child. She is an intelligent woman like you, but she is not biased. That is something you lack. We did our duties as parents and she is doing her duty as being a representative of us as well as our people, something that you have failed to do."

"How could you let her go out there by herself? She's not ready, what if she gets into a position where she cannot be helped?" Reggi-Siya asks Giyo while crying out to the alien over her baby, "how could you do that to us? She isn't able to shoulder that responsibility."

"Like you could?" Giyo responds scornfully to Reggi-Siya, "MY daughter is more able than YOU ever will be. I will give you one more chance Reggi-Siya… do not fail me again… my wife."


	4. Paul Patrone (Like Father, Like Son)

Well, my dad's in the ground now. After that armed conflict with that metal biker, his worries are over. I never liked him even though he is my dad, he's just… worthless. Even though I own his old house now, I still pawned some of his shit. Just recently, I got his old S.P.E.C.T.E.R. car from the New Vegas Police due to legal action. I gave his dog-tags and memorabilia to his friend Wight, even though I swiped all the 'good stuff'… such as incriminating evidence that I could use later on lots of people. Perhaps even get some angles and royalties with said 'good stuff'. I also got willed a shit ton of cash too, so money's no longer an object. It never was and it never will be; if I didn't get willed it, I would've stolen it anyway.

Speaking about the 'good stuff', I'm having a hoot looking at all the dirt that's on G.U.N.'s top agents, Rouge and Shadow as well as friends and relatives. This hedgehog named Amy Rose… I could make a million easily just off stalking charges alone. Oh… let's guess what's on lovely little Miles' folder; aw… sabotage… unlicensed building… unauthorized invasions… stolen tech… he's easily worth at least five mil. Wow pop… this is the greatest gift I ever stolen from you. I wonder what The Mirror Man is doing?

_[Dial tone]_

"Ugh… who the fuck is calling me? If this is the government, fuck off and fuck you."

"Hey Mirror Man, I'm not the government even though my dead dad was."

"Oh shit! Paul fucking Patrone! How have you been? How's Mark… I mean Usen?"

"Dead and dead Mirror Man, I got his shit. Hey, I got an excellent way to pay ya."

"Is it hot? Getting that shit legal on paper's a pain in the ass Paul."

"Oh it's clean. It's my dad's car; I'll give it to ya along with five grand for fixing me up that Talladega."

"That fucking car you had me fix up was a squashed ball of shit, Paul. But I worked my magic and it's better than it was from the factory! Sure you can pay me that way; I always wanted your dad's car. The Talladega's finished now Paul; I gave it all the stuff that you ordered. Two bullet resistant fuel cells, gun rack next to the driver, supercharged and upgraded to single overhead cam Ford 427 with 800 horsepower and gear drive timing, just to name off some of it. Is it cool if I ask you why you want such a decked out car? You want a car like Mad Max? Did you see that movie before?"

"I'll have to see that movie before I disappear for good Mirror Man. Earth's done man, and there's no chaos control for this shit. I recommend you hit the road to, maybe even pick a new name for yourself. Dennison Crosley is too unique; it's about time to get a different one that's more bland and simple. History leads to death and that is something I reckon you already know."

"True that Paul, I should take your advice and disappear myself. And my name has too much red tape and a record, not that it will matter in a few years. Hey what do you think I should do with my underground fortress? Blow it up with my stored battleship ammunition and dynamite? That would be quick and effective."

"Whatever Mirror Man. See ya later?"

"Sure thing, I know you'll be here very shortly."

"Yes I will be, later."

"Bye."

[Click]

Even though it would be just fine to hide out here in the desert away from the masses; anyone can find anything, anywhere without doing much. You're a sitting duck and once you're fucked, you're boned. That's why I'll do anything to extort, pillage, rape, and kill to do what I please and for my benefit and survival. I don't care if you have the fastest whatever, are the fastest, or have the biggest dick, I will always be in your blind spot, ready to surgically cut you down to size. I have infinite patience and persistence, and I will fuck you before you can fuck me, each time… every time, so watch out for me motherfuckers because I am the Night Rider! Watch the kid lay down the rubber road right to freedom!


	5. Meeting The Family Without The Parents

"Aw… there are those little babies!" Amy squeaked at Shadow and Rouge's children that are under her and Tails' care. Maria and Jarrell look up at her with huge thoughtless eyes. Maria waved out her tiny arms at Amy's shiny gold necklace but she cannot reach it but fights her hardest for Amy's jewelry. "You want to be a treasure hunter just like your mom? You really are Rouge's baby." Amy responds while keeping Maria under control, "She really has your strength too."

"Yes, she's a fighter with a strong spirit." Rouge replies before smooching her Maria on the forehead, Maria forgets about Amy's necklace and waves out to her mom instead. "I'm sorry I cannot take you with me Maria. I just want to be with you forever but I can't right now." Rouge sheds a few tears over leaving her babies behind.

"Don't worry; we'll take great care of them." Amy assures Rouge who's sniveling over her babies, "Maria and Jarrell will be safe with me and Tails."

"Now you best be good Amy & Miles you little gremlin. Daddy will give you a great reward when he comes back." Shadow speaks Jarrell who still growls like a feral beast. "That's not being good Jarrell." Shadow gnarls back at his son, Jarrell, which makes him stops his growling. "That's better." Shadow awards his son by patting him on the head.

"Thank you for doing this for us Amy." Rouge thanks as she hops on the back of Shadow's bike, waiting for Shadow to get on.

"No problem, please be safe." Amy waves good bye to Rouge and Shadow who is hopping on his bike and getting ready to leave.

"We'll do our best." Rouge says as Shadow starts up his bike and roars down the road with Rouge on the back seat. Amy looks down at Maria who is becoming upset over being without her mother. Maria starts wailing like the baby she is, Amy grabs Maria's bottle containing some of her mother's breast milk and turns a very feisty and bitter Maria into the most docile and sleepy baby ever. With a few suckles of the milk bottle, Maria's rapid sucking slows to a crawl and Maria is drifting into a deep sleep from being filled with milk.

"That's a good Maria, fighting will only make matters worse." Amy coos the sleeping Maria, ensuring that Maria stays under the hypnosis of her own sleeping. Amy stealthily places Maria back in her crib and tucks her in with her favorite dark red pillow and blanket. Maria subconsciously wiggles herself into a comfortable position and continues being embraced by the stronghold of dreamland. Amy walks out of the baby's room with equal stealth prowess to pick up Jarrell who's sleeping in the middle of the living room floor. Tails looks away from his custom netbook and watches Amy collect Jarrell so she can place him in his respective crib. Amy silently gets out of the baby room, shuts out the light in the room and closes the door with a tricky sleight of hand.

"You know Tails, you could've helped me out or at least say something to Shadow and Rouge before they left their kids behind." Amy criticizes Tails who still has his nose in his netbook, "Do you even acknowledge my existence right now?"

"Yes, this is a startling comparison." Tails says as he spins his laptop around and shows Amy how his profile comparison software compares Rouge with a gray male bat, "This gray bat here has a 90.3% profile match to Rouge, have any idea what this could mean?"

"That you're spending too much time with your computer?" Amy quips critically, not paying much mind to the results at first.

"No, Amy." Tails rolls his eyes at Amy before proceeding, "It means that this bat, who is known for his international crime wave in robbery and art theft. Amy, if this is the case. This bat here may be knocking on our door soon."

"So what Tails? We'll tell him to buzz off. That always works, just don't invite him in and everything will be fine. What's the matter? You think we cannot handle this already?"

"I don't know Amy, but I don't think a simple buzz off works with him. I think he may want to visit his niece and nephew. And after being released from the hospital where he was recuperating from the injuries from that hostage situation late last year, I think he'll want to spend some quality time with them."

Over 10 hours away from Central City in New Vegas, the gray bat who's fresh out of the hospital, takes a nice and bold puff from a Marlboro cigarette before getting in the driver's seat. His human cohort waits readily in the passenger seat, prepared for the next move.

"Ready to visit my niece and nephew, Mr. Claude Speed? They look so precious, like the jewelry in the stores and pawn shops." The gray bat says to his crime partner as he finishes up and prepares to drive.

"Whatever Mr. Gris the Bat, you need your little helpers, that's fine." Claude says to Gris the Bat as he readies himself for the long trip to Central City, "But you're keeping them fed and changing their diapers. They're related to you, not me."


	6. Shadow's Inner Beast (His Feral Romance)

"Welcome to Clausen AFB Agent Shadow and Agent Rouge." The solder greets Shadow and Rouge while escorting them to the private jet. "I hope your maternal leave was delightful Mrs. Rouge."

"It wasn't… until he returned to me." Rouge replies to the soldier, she reaches for Shadow's hand and swipes it.

"Oh… okay, here's the jet ma'am." The soldier confusingly speaks as Rouge and Shadow's strong relationship perplexes him. "Don't worry, you'll be safe during this flight. All you need to do is simply relax and you'll be at the new Prison Island in no time."

"Thank you." Rouge says to the overloading soldier before entering the jet. The soldier then runs off like he is responding to some type of emergency. Shadow and Rouge sit next to a window where Shadow starts to wrap his arms around his spouse and begins loving on her neck with his tongue.

"Shadow, even though this isn't professional, I'll let this one go." Rouge asks Shadow while quietly moaning from Shadow's playing, "But I got to ask you, what has gotten into you today?"

"I don't know, is it Spring yet?" Shadow answers without stopping his licking on her neck. Rouge tries her best to keep her focus of the view outside the window. Shadow lies off with his tongue play but starts smooching Rouge's neck instead. Out from nowhere, a fighter jet nose dives right by the window that they are next to; the fighter's nose dive makes Shadow grip Rouge tightly and locks some of her neck in his mouth. Shadow went from romance to instantaneous defense and Shadow's feral demeanor has Rouge scared out of her mind.

"Shad… Shad…" Rouge starts speaking to Shadow with a calm voice that's hard to maintain from Shadow's biting, "Shadow! What is happening to you? You're being too hard on my neck! Shadow!"

Meanwhile in the private jet's cockpit, the pilot's radar recognizes the fighter jet as an 'unknown airframe'. The pilot doesn't have much, if any, to work with in this situation. The nose-diving fighter jet pulls back up from its free-fall and climbs back up, shooting upwards and almost crashes into the private jet's nosecone.

"Shadow! Shadow! Can you hear me?" Rouge starts shouting at Shadow over the sounding alarms, trying to make him snap out of his animalistic state of mind, "Are still there Shadow!? Shadow! Please snap out of it!"

The fighter jet quickly flees from the private jet doing near Mach 3, just as fast as it did its initial nose-dive. With the alarms no-longer sounding and the fighter jet gone, Shadow finally awakens from his defensive trance and unlocks Rouge's neck from his jaws. Shadow rests his head on Rouge's shoulder while Rouge realizes that something's wrong with Shadow because he had never acted this way at all before. This morning's sexual intercourse, the over amorous smooching, hugging, touching, and kissing, and even his recent episode of locking her neck in his mouth and gripping her body in his arms. What is causing Shadow's animal-like behavior? It isn't even close to Spring yet because today's January 2. And was that fighter jet really the cause of Shadow's overreacting? No matter the cause, Shadow is far from being okay.


	7. Prison Island Mystery

Prison Island Airstrip

Time: 0950 Hours

"I'm very sorry; I don't know what got into me." Shadow converses apologetically with his wife, Rouge, while they exit the private jet and walk across the airstrip, "This morning's loving, kissing, grabbing, touching, licking, biting, and the spontaneous sex…"

"Shhhh… It's okay; you just need to get better control over yourself is all." Rouge replies while escorting Shadow over to the awaiting HMMWV. "Just make sure you can control yourself until we can figure out what's up with you. But I think you should see somebody who isn't affiliated with G.U.N. in any way, shape, or form."

"Welcome to the New Prison Island, we have been expecting your arrival." The vehicle driver greets Shadow and Rouge before driving them to the maximum security hospital section of Prison Island. "Now I must give you two a required briefing of the upcoming area," the vehicle co-pilot begins to speak to Shadow and Rouge as the HMMWV nears the highly fortified medical facility, "You must stay together at all times, you will never know what can, may, or will happen here on your visit. Maximize your safety by staying together."

The HMMWV rolls to a stop in front of the complex's entrance, two armed personnel escort Shadow and Rouge from the vehicle to inside the hospital where they remain by their side as to maintain security and safety of Shadow and Rouge. Shadow and Rouge go to where the G.U.N. Commander is with the two escorting infantry men acting as sentry. The G.U.N. Commander is seen looking through a window pane that goes to another room. In the other room, an older male German Shepherd lays motionless on the hospital bed with many machines hooked up to him, reading his vital signs and keeping him alive. Rouge and Shadow look into the room with the commander, but Shadow knows that the German Shepherd on life support inside is none other than Ben who was trying to kill him almost four months ago.

"He knows something… something we don't. He must regain consciousness in order for us to figure out what the hell's going on." The G.U.N. Commander says aloud to himself before shifting his attention over to Shadow and Rouge, "But that's why I didn't bring you two all the way out here. As I was alerted, you two were bothered by a high speed interceptor of unknown ownership."

"Unknown ownership?" Rouge repeats as she cannot believe that the plane's owner could not be identified.

"Even though the owner could not be I.D.'d, it is a strong possibility that it could be the prototype aircraft that is being developed." The commander responds after clearing his throat, "However, we have little to no concrete details on the developers, engineers, or even the selected pilots. Of the extremely limited visuals we had on the airframe, we can only conclude it came from somewhere… north."

"Is that the best we could do to find anything on it?" Rouge says while contemplating what wrong with Shadow within the back of her mind. Shadow just stares at Ben as if trying to look through him, watching to see if he reanimates. But no dice, Ben's out like a light and he will not awake from extended slumber for quite some time. The commander's phone rings, he looks at the screen and opens the new message he just has just received.

"There's more on the aircraft, but we must attend the briefing back at the airfield." The commander answers, preparing to exit the high security clinic, "Let's move out now."

Later at 1107 hours, a submerged aircraft carrier rises from the depths to greet the incoming MiG-25 which glides down to the floating landing strip in a feather-like fashion. The crew and supplies pop out of the carrier's false floors and quickly refuel and rearm the MiG with unrivaled efficiency, the MiG pilot's superior radios the pilot with this exact quote, "Attack the island but only play around with them if you wish and escape them." The maintenance crew and whatever remains of the supplies they used on the MiG-25 return to the false floors fall through them again, only the airframe remains on the strip, ready for takeoff. The MiG-25's engines spool up before the airframe bullets off of the submerging aircraft carrier and begin cruising over to Prison Island over 10 Kilometers away, the current time is 1111 hours.

Unaware of the returning MiG-25, Shadow, Rouge, and the G.U.N. Commander return to the airstrip and head into one of the hangars. Yet to be realized, Shadow and Rouge are going to get some extra help on this one. Not to mention the leader of S.P.E.C. is also in attendance.

"Ah, Mr. Commander… I take it you haven't addressed your little minions of your real name yet?" The leader of S.P.E.C. cackles at the commander as he approaches him and the hangar.

"Spitzer Kugel, I should've known you'd be in on this." The commander responds to Kugel with high-level suspicion, "And to fill you in, Usen's dead."

"So the traitor bit the dust, huh? Eh, he wasn't the one to last anyway, too much baggage." Kugel cracks as he lights a cigarette, takes a deep puff, and exhales all his smoke all over the commander's face, "Anyhow, for this upcoming briefing, I thought I'd bring along a volunteer. Miles?"

"Are they here?" A young voice asks from behind Kugel that sounds all so familiar to Shadow and Rouge, Kugel grows a smirk as he continues to smoke his cigarette.

"Yes Miles, they are here. Are you ready to begin helping them out?" Kugel asks again while finishing his smoking and stomps out his cigarette. Miles steps out from behind Kugel, the reveal shocks Shadow and Rouge to the core.

"Tails!? How did you get here!?" Rouge says as she knew Tails was supposed to be watching her and Shadow's Maria and Jarrell instead being on Prison Island with them.


	8. Golden Goals

Looming above all activities on Earth, Goldeneye has witness just near everything that has transpired before him. As of late, Goldeneye is the only one who occupies Space Colony ARK. As a chess master stands before his pawns, Goldeneye figures and decides his next move. In the western hemisphere, G.U.N. and S.P.E.C. is currently grinding against each other even though they should be working together. In the eastern theater, the Northern Revised Order or N.R.O. for short, is currently contesting G.U.N.'s military strength. As of recently, the N.R.O. has captured everything in Eurasia up to the German-Northern Gate, where the German Demographic Body and the Northern Revised Order have upheld their agreement to stop Northern expansion.

The German-Northern Gate is the only opening in an almost impenetrable wall of armed defenses as well as a physical concrete wall that separates the German Demographic Body's eastern border from where the N.R.O. looms right on the other side. The G.D.B. nation is the only nation that has any type of land connection to the N.R.O. due to rapid expansion and collection of smaller countries into the growing Northern nation.

Goldeneye, having such a high number of options for choosing where to begin his elected-official-free empire; is contemplating the start point of his dream kingdom and has been for such a long time. Beginning with the seizing the corporations and industries from the very figures that hired him beforehand, Goldeneye has gained plentiful resources and continues to grow a foothold in all corners of the Earth. But two little things hold Goldeneye's interest, and they are at the ripe young age for picking at only less than four months old. He wants those babies so bad he can get a whiff of soiled diapers, know that harnessing their full potential could mean world domination will be effortless and victory certain. But with unlimited potential in all points of the compass of Earth, he cannot decide where to start.

"Those babies…" Goldeneye contemplates privately within Space Colony ARK to himself, "The Ultimate Lifeform will not harm or kill his own children. Same goes for the mother, equally powerless. His own children will be the greatest weapon ever devised, even more so than the ARK's laser being upgraded to be powered by combining nuclear power with the power of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. It's a shame that such perfect babies will have to be used for my plan, but not enough shame to change my mind. But if I must reduce such wonderful and untainted children to nothing in order for a creation of a better future; then it shall be done. I think cloning will be much suited instead of wasting the originals however, maybe that's what I'll do instead." Goldeneye leans back in the massive chair and blissfully imagines his perfect utopia.


	9. Saddling Up (Transporting)

"We must make our leave Knuckles, the children can't stick around here for long." Shade warns Knuckles as she assists him and Amy in packing up for a long-term road trip, "It's for the best of Shadow and Rouge's kids that we keep them on the move."

"I don't get why Tails had to walk out on us, we need his help more than ever." Amy speaks over to Shade while she gets Maria and Jarrell strapped inside the Dodge St. Regis that Kalgan left behind which is now licensed under Rouge's insurance policy, "Those guys showed up and he left with them. Why would he even leave with them? Could he have just said 'no'?"

"I don't think we even need to leave, Shade, we can hold our own here." Knuckles denies Shade's warning even though he is still going with Amy who does take heed to Shade's advice because of Tails' find.

"Like brute force has won you anything recently?" Amy critiques Knuckles' comment from out front of the house, "It's a wonder that giant metal man hasn't reduced you to hamburger. And thanks Shade for identifying the image of that man Tails found, I would've never thought you would've known him."

"If he's anything that I remember, is he will not quit. Gris is unnaturally stubborn and quitting is not present in his mind." Shade explains to Amy and Knuckles about Gris, "He just keeps coming until he's in the hospital or dead. I know Knuckles' has had his hands full and isn't ever able to protect the Chaos Emeralds very well due to being the guardian of the Master Emerald. Which makes me think, why aren't you guarding that right now?"

That is MY concern, NOT YOURS!" Knuckles flamboyantly fails at hiding his animosity towards Shade despite each other are on better terms nowadays. "I can handle what I have right now Shade."

"You should have gloves with fingers instead of those pointy oven mitts you have on right now. It will make 'handling' things easier for you even though you did break the Master Emerald with your own incompetence. You need to learn how to accept help from others."

"Incompetence!? Accept help!? I'll show you that I don't need help to show you that I am not incompetent!" Knuckles flames up from Shade's critique and tries to settle the matter with old fashioned fisticuffs, but Amy notices what is transpiring and rams Knuckles hard enough to incapacitate him with her mighty Piko Piko Hammer.

"You know damn well you cannot fight wind in your current shape Knuckles." Amy administers Knuckles like an emancipated and mature woman that she can be once Sonic's out of the equation, "Just have a seat until you're in better shape to lift a finger. As for you Shade, whatever you do, do not agitate Knuckles. Now let's go you two, we got some babies we need to care for Shadow and Rouge."

Amy's display of her serious side leaves Knuckles and Shade dumbfounded for the simple fact that Amy has just stepped up and taken a leadership role. Knuckles and Shade regain their composition before heading out the door and out to the car. Down the street just short of half a mile away, Gris the Bat and Claude Speed watch Amy, Shade, and Knuckles leave from afar and prepare to tail the unsuspecting Dodge St. Regis. Gris is ready to meet his niece and nephew but Claude could give a damn about them, he's only around because he's paid to be by Gris' side due to being on Gris' parents' payroll. This is nothing but another job to Claude, he's just there to work and live another day. Nothing more, nothing less.


	10. Prison Island Under Fire

Prison Island Airstrip, Hangar 06

Time: 1112 Hours

"I had to Shadow, he knows where Sonic is and he is willing to help us find him." Tails pleas to Shadow and Rouge in a potentially vain attempt for some kind of pity, "Shade and Knuckles are with Amy and helping her take care of Maria and Jarrell."

"If something happens to them Tails, especially my little Maria, I'm making a scarf and hide out of you." Shadow responds with a threatening tone to Tails.

"You look like good underwear material too; maybe it will add some spice in the bedroom." Rouge says while drawing an underwear pattern on Tails' chest with her fingers which sharply intimidates Tails and makes him tremble at the thought of being Rouge's new undergarment.

"Now is that how you treat your new company?" Kugel nods at Shadow and Rouge's lack of hospitality for Tails, "Shame on you, he only wants to help."

"You better not be bullshitting us Kugel," The G.U.N. Commander replies to Kugel, "We have no time to screw around with anybody, let alone with the likes of you."

"You too?" Kugel goes on, "Where's your sense of trust?"

"Nonexistent as of late. Don't make me reinforce that mindset Kugel." The Commander says completely not swayed by Kugel's current demeanor.

"Cute." Kugel opens his mouth to the commander again, "We better head inside for the briefing."

Shadow, Rouge, Tails, Kugel, & The G.U.N. Commander enter the hangar together where Kugel takes the foldable stage while two of Kugel's S.P.E.C. agents escort a captured Northern Revised Order engineer, Yevgeny Rognov, up to the stage with Kugel.

"Knew he'd be in on this issue, Kugel's a schemer." The G.U.N. Commander keeps his thoughts to himself while Kugel ready himself to make his announcement. Shadow and Rouge naturally pick a seat next to each other while Tails keeps his distance from everybody. Unknown to the inhabitants and personnel of Prison Island, the prototype airframe that the meeting being held in the hangar will explain its specifications, is currently rocketing at the island at speeds exceeding Mach 3. It's closing in with speeds thought not possible with its frame.

"Okay, as I am about to explain to all of you that our friends overseas have come up with an experimental interceptor aircraft," Kugel explains while Shadow and Rouge lean against each other and support one another for the road ahead. Tails twiddles his thumbs while he contemplates his life as he waits to be called up to the stage.

"Here to help us is a man who worked on this air frame who will explain to us its capabilies is N.R.O. engineer, Yevgeny Rognov." Kugel directs Yevgeny to the microphone on stage, Yevgeny adjusts his collar of his uniform before beginning his speech.

"Greetings G.U.N. S.P.E.C., I Yevgeny Rognov of N.R.O., I was arrested in capitol of Chun-Nan during unexpected invasion of airbase. I here to speak about prototype, Mikoyan-Gurevich 47, or MiG-47 Foxbat-Z. Foxbat-Z is the upcoming airframe built to intercept missiles such as nuclear weapons, other aircraft such as fighters and bombers, and attack…"

"Attack what Mr. Rognov?" Kugel asks while Yevgeny takes a slow deep breath. Shooting over the airport on Prison Island, the drastically updated MiG-25, which is the current prototype of the upcoming MiG-47 that is yet to be built, drops two missiles which simply plummet to the surface. One missile blows out the back of the hangar while the other scatters into smaller missiles and damages some of G.U.N.'s fighters. The explosion at the back of the hangar blows everybody down to the floor except for Yevgeny, who exposes his Škorpion vz. 61 machine pistol and places a few rounds into Kugel's half metal-plated chest before making his sprinting exit.

"Attack you stupid bastards! I'm off!" Yevgeny says before making his hasty retreat from the attacked hangar. G.U.N. soldiers on the strip run about while they have yet to figure out that this is a setup that they have ignorantly fallen for. Yevgeny sees a pilot making an entrance into a fighter jet, Yevgeny shoots at the unsuspecting pilot which only injures the pilot and makes him fall down beside the fighter. A couple of shell-shocked soldiers realize Yevgeny and open fire on him with their automatic carbines, a few rounds clip Yevgeny and he falls into the cockpit of the fighter. The prototype aircraft shoots upward at Mach 3.1, boomerangs back down a few miles away, and goes for another attack run on Prison Island. Shadow runs outside of the hangar in absolute confusion and looks around for the attacker. Yevgeny straps himself in the pilot's seat and begins to hit the runway recklessly in his confiscated aircraft while shooting blindly at G.U.N. soldiers and airmen while he approaches the straightaway.

Kugel gets back up and runs outside of the hangar with his pistol drawn out from his holster and runs towards Shadow's direction. The prototype MiG-47 nears the airstrip and uses its wing-mounted GSh-6-23 machine guns and opens fire on the airstrip. Shadow looks around in confusion before he spots his airborne nemesis, the MiG-25 Foxbat. Seeing the interceptor jet makes Shadow flashback to being perilously pursued five years ago by the exact same airframe that is attacking Prison Island now. No matter how hard he tried to evade that MiG, it followed him without mercy or missing a turn. Kugel, who is shouting out Shadow's name while running up to him, gets hit with a 23mm round from the incoming MiG and hits the ground hard and leaving his chest's metal-plating severely damaged.

"Run! Shadow! You stupid fuck! Run!" Kugel roars out in pain with his cybernetic prosthetics damaged beyond functionality and repair. Hydraulic oil pours out of Kugel's broken mechanical parts while he bleeds from where his flesh has been scratched and cut. "Run like the fucking animal that you are Shadow! Fucking run for your life! Run!" Kugel continues shouting out at Shadow. Kugel's voice finally reaches Shadow and Shadow snaps out of his living nightmare and runs off while the MiG flees with a stolen fighter jet which has the escaping Yevgeny Rognov in the pilot seat.


	11. Under The Surface(A New Game With Tails)

Prison Island Airstrip

Time: 1120 Hours

"You have better not have played a part in this one Tails, you know damn well what will happen to you!" Rouge scolds Tails whom Rouge's prepared to twist Tails' head off like a bottle cap. Tails is disappointed with himself for being involved in this situation on top of other things that make it hard not to stress out. "Shadow doesn't need this shit and he doesn't need you to further upset him, Shadow's already on the edge of insanity. Now we got to go find him because he got lost in this mess."

Rouge and Tails walk together about the bombarded airstrip and find Kugel lying helplessly on the concrete strip, he tells Rouge this helpful tip while attempting to stand up on his own despite his broken cybernetic limbs, "Shadow ran into that bit of forest to the east of here. I honestly had nothing to do with this, Miles is innocent too. Please spare him from anymore tongue lashing, it's been a rough little while as it is and Miles only wanted to help you and Shadow." Kugel manages to finally pull himself up on his own two legs before continuing his speaking, "I hope you find your husband."

"Husband? Where did you get that idea?" Rouge asks Kugel suspiciously, believing that Kugel had something to do with the attack on her and her babies' to-be-born lives back in fall of last year.

"Isn't it obvious, you and him are all over each other!" Kugel cracks out to Rouge while lighting a cigarette and begins to smoke it, "I wouldn't be surprised if you guys have been fucking nonstop since you two got together, I doubt you two wear a raincoat."

"It was you wasn't it Kugel!?" Rouge viciously frames Kugel for the attack that took place last autumn, "What's your angle Spitzer!? You jealous or some fucking thing!?"

Kugel's has had quite enough of this display and responds to that comment with pointing his handgun right at Rouge's white forehead. "I could give a flying fuck about you or Shadow, I have done too much to throw it all away over you and your science experiment of a man you fucking whore! Now go find him and nab some foreplay before I plug you, Miles, & Shadow for being argumentative retards who haven't accomplished a damn thing as of late! Now go find him! Now! Go!"

Rouge would've continued fighting Spitzer Kugel, but her and Shadow's little Maria and Jarrell crosses her mind and forces her to back off. It's almost certain Kugel had at most, little to do with that attack last fall and this argument will only harm more than it will ever help. Rouge and Tails leaves Spitzer Kugel to go search for Shadow. A military ambulance pulls up to Kugel and carries him off to the on-site hospital to get patched up, he watches Rouge and Tails angrily over framing him for that attack on Rouge's life almost four months ago. Kugel knows that Rouge will still hold him responsible no matter how much evidence there is to support that Kugel had nothing to do with the attack.

Meanwhile, Shadow dove into the old section of prison Island and goes into the hollowed out prison area of the retired underground complex. Shadow stands in front of Gerald's old cell, contemplating what he should do next.

"I'm a dad & I've yet to be married to my wife. I got to… I must destroy it. There's no other way around it. But the question is… why they devised such a machine in the first place is something I don't understand yet. Its build and purpose seems very specific. But who is its owner? Why would they want me out of the picture permanently? Something's going on, and I got to do it something unlike how I froze out on the runway like an idiot. Why did I even do that?"

"Shadow!? Shadow!?" Rouge speaks out for her Shadow before hearing his voice coming from a hallway within the depths of this underground complex. Rouge takes off and hurries down the hallway to find Shadow by himself next to Gerald's empty cell. Rouge leaps over and hugs her Shadow tightly.

"I was so worried about you! Why did you run off like that? I need you to be with me." Rouge caresses Shadow while he turns to his wife and hugs back, "Why did you come here?"

"I needed to think alone." Shadow answers Rouge before apologizing with, "I'm sorry."

"I thought you would be down here Shadow, you will never stop missing Gerald and Maria."

"That's how it is with me, even though things change and we have kids now; I still never stop thinking about them, only if I could have done something then."

"We can never change how things have turned out in the past, but we can do our best to make the best of things now. Shadow I think I have to tell you something…"

"Rouge… Shadow… where did those two go?" Tails asks around the complex, but no answer returns. Tails continues on until the lights seem to dim, but not a kind of dim from lack of power, but the kind of dim that comes from obstructions like fog or smoke. "Um… hello?" Tails continues to probe around until Tails hears a whistling sound, as if someone's playing a flute. Before Tails could realize soon enough to save himself, a black fog rolls in and engulfs Tails and turns the lighting to a dark blue. Tails panics and tries to evade the dark surroundings, but he is captured and trapped within them. Some of the black fog becomes dense in one spot and transform into a wingless bat silhouette. The outline then further forms into a bat inside a ninja outfit, playing a silver flute through the masked off mouth. The eyes are protected by darkened lenses built into the head of the outfit. Tails has seen this figure before and he knows it could only be one person.

"Wha… what do you want from me? Why do you haunt me like a ghost and continue to beat me up?" Tails questions the materialized apparition, but only the flute stops making music, and the flute playing ninja-like entity collapses the flute down to a cylinder only an inch long. The flute user then places the cylinder in a pocket on its utility belt.

"It must be near… the chosen baby is within her mother." The consciousness of the lifeform speaks to Tails with a feminine voice that hisses, albeit minimally and very suppressed. "Now, since she has yet to complete her developing of the second batch of offspring due to only being pregnant for an hour more or less; I am going to entertain myself by taking you to a place… a very… special… place… where I will pleasure myself by taking out my boredom on you!"

"Shadow! Rouge! Anybody! Help me!" Tails screams but no one can hear his voice, the controller of the black fog then suck Tails in the dark cloud and Tails is transported to a place far away from Prison Island, where this entity can punish Tails for fun without being discovered.


	12. Pacifist Reggie (Refusal To Be Involved)

Ever since my return to Earth, everything has been so quiet. I don't think I'll want anything to do with civilization anymore. I'm done with my involvement in other's affairs. I plan on sticking it out here by myself at home. I still have my little hut, but I built a nice two-story house all by myself next to it so I can be alone comfortably. Shadow's where he belongs as everybody should be and I'm where I belong, alone by myself. If anyone finds this house, it will be the last thing they'll ever find because I'll kill them with all I have at my disposal. I rather be alone, I hate everybody here… materialistic bastards.

The only way I can see what is happening out there is by watching TV in my living room or get on my computer, of which I rarely use either one. I also almost never wear clothes because no one is around to see me and I don't care if anyone sees me in the buff because my ass is the last thing they'll ever get to see if they stumble around here. The only time I wear cloths is when I need protection from heat like when I make a burn pile or when I repair my motorcycle, of which I've never used since I parted ways from Shadow when we escaped New Vegas. I still don't like him, but he seems more… improved in my eyes. But he is where he needs to be and me, Reggi-Siya, is where I should be… alone. And alone is where I do belong and I am willing to accept that.


	13. Master Alan (Tails' Diplomatic Mission)

Courtyard, Tower Of London

Time: 2330 Hours

"Where did you take me!? Where is everybody!?" Tails shouts about as he is disposed of in the middle of a grassy area by the dark cloud that had sucked him in earlier. It is almost midnight according to the courtyard's clock nearby. Tails spots two patrolling red coats that are armed with L85 (SA80) assault rifles. Tails runs up to the guards and asks them where he is. The guards, much to Tails' surprise, are actually very welcoming despite him being here close to midnight.

"Mistress Nira and Master Alan have told us ahead of time that you were visiting her late at night Miles." One of the two guards answer with no thought of Tails' current circumstances, "Don't worry, you are welcome here at this time of night. Please take your time, no need to be in a hurry. Snap a picture of the tower if you want, it's an absolute masterpiece at night. Savor your visit, you are able to stay here as long as you like."

"You know, you should be honored that Master Alan has selected you to be here." The second guard continues where the first one left off, "He rarely, if ever, invites anybody to be here… let alone at this time of night. Master Alan stays and lives in the London Tower since he is the direct guard of the British Royal Family. They say the British Kingdom will fall if there are no ravens present here. That's why Alan lives here, but I think he might have told you that beforehand. That's why he sends Mistress Nira to complete his tasks outside of these boundaries."

"Where is Alan now? Do you two know why I am here?" Tails asks the guards, the guards look at each other for a couple of seconds before answering up.

"Master Alan told us you were supposed to discuss matters involving the safety of not only the British Kingdom, but for the entire world. Why, did you forget Miles?"

"No, I'm just making sure you two know what's going on." Tails responds while taking a moment to think over the guards' reply.

(Safety of the entire world? This Alan guy must be high up in the chain of command to be involved in such matters… but why does that have to do with me?)

"I think I can answer your question Mr. Miles Prower." An adult voice from behind Tails speaks.

"Master Alan… I thought you would still be preparing for your meeting with Miles." One of the two guards says in surprise of Alan's presence. Alan, much to Tails' surprise, is a raven who is very trim and clean in his white tank top and olive drab trousers precisely tucked in his black leather boots. Alan's eye color is a shining gold but his eyes have no white unlike most creatures' eyes that Tails has ever seen before, Alan's eyes are all black with only those gold irises to stand out. Alan is also quite muscular for a bird that eats carrion on a regular basis.

"I did… multiple times. I figured you two would've found Miles here wondering around." Alan chats with the red coats, "You know that I have warned you two that Miles has… not been around the world before."

"Now that's…" Tails starts to speak but Alan puts his heavily gloved hand over Tails' mouth to silence him.

"Oh… he's mildly uncivilized… and has Tourette's." Alan fibs out loud to the unwitting guards who take him seriously.

"Yes Master Alan, we understand." The two guards respond to Alan's lie with a look of surprised that according to Alan; they were talking to a mildly uncivilized, two-tailed fox that has Tourette's, "We will patrol that way now. Good night Master Alan."

"Thank you." Alan grins while he and Tails turn away from the guards and begin to take a slow stroll to the London Tower. Alan finally lifts his hand off of Tails' mouth which Tails asks Alan, "What is going on here?"

"Now I know that Nira brought you here, not to mention how she kicked you around almost four months ago. I know all about you, your friends, your enemies, your rivals, everything about you, I know." Alan begins to explain all of what he knows to a clueless Tails, "But I know for a fact that you know nothing about me. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Alan Enrave. Yes, I am a full-blood raven, and only second to the British Royal Family. I know of a great emergency that is about to unfold, I have foreseen it all. There is nothing you can do to prevent it from unfolding; we can only change the outcome of it. I will delve further into that subject in a moment. For we need to discuss a team effort that could save or destroy everyone, as well as everything, that you know. You have always been the intelligent one out of that batch you know as friends. That's why I want to offer you this proposition."

"What do you mean by all of this, Alan?" Tails questions Alan with no belief in what Alan has to say, "I think what you say is mere bluffing."

"I knew you would say that Miles." Alan continues on, "But I think I can open your eyes to something more than simple superficial power. "


	14. The Inexplicale Instrument

Near Alan's Quarters, Tower Of London

Time: 0000 Hours

Alan escorts Tails to his section of the Tower Of London, behind the massive mahogany double doors is Alan's quarters which the first thing that catches Tails' eyes is a massive machine. The mechanism towers over the comparatively miniscule Tails and Alan, the gigantic symphony of intricate moving parts are contained within a massive glass dome with incredulous thickness. The detail that attracts Tails the most about the unknown contrivance is the neon blue-purple glow that pulsates from the inner workings of the device.

"What… is… this…?" Tails asks Alan very slowly due to being awestruck by this overtly complex symphony of polished brass levers, gears, clutches, sprockets, arms, chains, all self-oiling by a pump that extrudes a blue-purple liquid that almost matches the pulsating glow and color as the illuminating & flickering 'heart' within the center. "Alan…?"

"I am not sure of this device's name," Alan admits while Tails has a mental orgasm over the intricate and fragile-looking device, "But it seems to have some type of aura within. I remember that there is something within, something like we have within us but with much more staying power. Despite me not knowing its name or much about its history, I know its purpose."

"What… will… that… be…?" Tails spits a slobber-soaked question to Alan, the contraption seems to be hypnotizing Tails, pulling and sucking all of Tails' consciousness out of his own body.

"It seems to be some kind of uni-chronology-tracking/mapping instrument from what I understand; it never has stopped, slowed, or lost accuracy since it was created." Alan answers while keeping Tails under supervision, "I foresee what will happen if it stops functioning. Do you understand what I am saying so far Miles?"

"Yes…" Tails responds droningly while he draws himself near to the intricate machine while Alan makes sure Tails does not interfere with the machine's process, "Tell… me… more…"

"Our existence as a whole will be wiped as if we hit the delete button." Alan continues speaking, "Once this machine stops functioning, we will no longer be. But one thing that is fuel for thought is something that this machine is capable of." Alan grabs Tails by the hand which shatters Tails' zombie-like trance and makes him snap back to reality as he knows it to be.

"It is only for the best of the both of us if I do this to you." Alan preemptively apologizes while he grabs Tails by the shoulders and directs Tails over to two uniquely etched panels that rest on the inner side of the glass encasement of this specialized construction, "Place your hands on the glass where those panels are."

Tails follows the command from Alan and much disbelief to himself from the occurence; Tails' hands seem to pass through the glass and into an entirely different level of existence.

"What is this thing!?" Tails becomes scared of the machine which he can feel a pull from the other side where his hands are, but the pulling feels more like a vacuum suction than any type of creature grabbing his hands.

"I severely apologize, but I think you should experience this." Alan says while forcefully shoving Tails into the area where his hands are being sucked in, Tails completely disappears as Alan waits close by the entrance. "It will be best for you and me if you did."

Tails screams from the top of his lungs as he is going Mach infinity through what Tails interprets to be his idea of time-space. Small specks of light and huge clusters of planets truck by him at ultra-high speed as he is trying to come up with a logical idea of what is happening to him right now. After what seems to be an eternity of going at an uncontrollable and unfathomable amount of speed, Tails soon realizes he is on a collision course with an oncoming planet. Tails barely grazes the atmosphere but doesn't get pulled in due to his speed exceeding the possibility of getting sucked in by that planet's gravity.

Tails continues uncontrollably flying by specks of light and near-missing asteroids and space junk until Tails notices a planet mostly covered in blue liquid but has splotches of green, tan, & white coming right at him. Tails knows that he will hit this planet while he resumes his frantic screaming.

On Space Colony ARK, Goldeneye notices a gold-colored streak of light dashing right at Earth. Goldeneye looks at the unusually colored meteor for a minute before going back to his regular plotting.

At the rebuilt Prison Island, Shadow and Rouge look up at the afternoon sky together hand in hand, leaning on each other.

"I got you pregnant again, why did I do that to you? I knew damn well we shouldn't do things like that." Shadow speaks aloud next to his spouse while being disappointed in himself. "But I just couldn't control myself, I seeded you… again."

"Because only two babies just is not enough for Mister Love Machine." Rouge answers while she giggles and picks a nearby flower so she can hand it over to Shadow, "So you got more growing inside me. But I think we can get what we need done before I become too big to work here again."

"I hope so Rouge; we need to get things in order quick before the second babies are born." Shadow replies while accepting the flower from Rouge, "Thank you."

"Oh! Look at that!" Rouge squeaks at Shadow for she sees a gold colored shooting star shoots across the sky, she points it out to Shadow before telling him, "Make a wish!"

Shadow closes his eyes and makes his wish, and then he responds with, "Okay, I made my wish. Did you make yours?"

"Mine's already happened," Rouge answers before she begins to romantically make out with Shadow, "You and the babies was my wish."

"I'm surprised Tails isn't here yet, this would be the critical moment to ruin." Shadow comments while he continues his explosively amorous courtship with Rouge.

"I wonder what happened to him," Rouge replies while they enjoy each other's company, "I get the feeling he's over our heads spying on us right now."

Unknowingly to everyone, Tails soars hysterically over the Earth and rockets right back at the Tower Of London all while still screaming with absolute terror. Alan has one particular window open and waits for Tails' return patiently right next to the sophisticated instrument that he shoved Tails into that started Tails psychotically irrational journey. Alan idly steps right in front of the machine where the open window faces it, right in time to catch Tails who goes from his excessively fast speed to an instantaneous stop. Tails keeps on with his scared stiff screaming that loops like a continuous sound track until he realizes he back in front of the machine that he got kicked into just a few seconds earlier by Alan.

"Well if you're curious about the time Miles it is a mere few seconds before 0001 Hours," Alan says while he puts Tails back on his own two feet, "It hasn't even been one minute yet, how do you feel? Do you have any reason to doubt me now?"

"This machine is inexplicable," Tails replies to Alan while he gawks at the mysteriously illuminating brass machine with an entirely different light than he did beforehand, "There exists no explanation as in what just happened to me."

"You can contemplate all you like about it," Alan responds to Tails, "but we need to move along to more immediate matters beside machines that have unexplainable existences. There's other things in here I am absolutely positive would consume your fascination. Let's move along, time's not expendable."


	15. Free Of Cost

Alan's Quarters, Tower Of London

Time: 0002 Hours

"Now that I have shared a fragment of myself with you, what do you think of me now?" Alan talks to Tails while he pours a glass of liquid for himself that's from a bottle labeled 'Sharp's Spirit Fluid', "Want a glass Miles?"

"No thanks… I'm… I… want a glass." Tails at first objects but quickly gives in "Pour me one."

"I'll make you a Bloody Mary." Alan replies with throwing a glass up in the air and swiping it out of mid-air, "It's an excellent beginner's drink for people new to drinking such as you Miles."

Alan proceeds to mix up two glasses for himself and Tails, "You know it's a real treat for you to see this place. I usually have to kill or maim those who show up here. It's one of my jobs being a resident of a worldwide landmark."

Tails looks about the room and notices an old picture of Alan with a white bat in a garden, "Whoa, who's that!?"

"You noticed that picture, huh." Alan quips to Tails while he gives a Bloody Mary to Tails, "That would my friend… she's dead now."

"I'm so sorry… I didn't know, she looks very familiar to someone I know." Tails apologizes to Alan while he sips on a Bloody Mary. "I hope she rests in peace."

"I wish she did." Alan adds on while he downs his drink. "She's beautiful when she sleeps. Sometimes I wish I didn't do that to her."

"Wait… what did you do?" Tails worries while he finishes his drink, "Do I even want to know?"

"You've already met her!" A familiar feminine voice speaks from behind Tails, "It's me!"

Tails eerily turns around and much to his displeasure, a bat with pasty skin, blackened fur, pupil-less eyes, and lengthened fangs looms over him like a curse. The bat apparently is only in her underwear which brings up vivid memories from back when Tails was 8…

Tails unwittingly walked into the bathroom to wash his hands while humming a tune and completely wrecking Tails' then young mind, he saw Rouge without undergarments or anything to shield Tails from her young, then 18 year old body. Rouge noticed Tails once she took the towel off her head after stepping out of the shower and both of them stared at each other's bodies for a minute. Ever witnessing Rouge's body in its natural form, Tails was ruined for almost a decade because of himself being a young kid that hasn't experienced the opposite sex at such a level before and since. Even to this day, Tails wants to admit his feelings to Rouge but doing so would overcomplicate an already complex life for both Rouge and himself, not to mention Rouge still needs to be married to Shadow despite having been pregnant with his babies and gave birth to them.

"Get over yourself Miles, it's not possible… she'll be smooching all over Shadow under the chapel." Tails keeps telling himself each time the thought of having her make love to him arises, "She's probably already been impregnated again with more of Shadow's babies. She's out of your league Miles, let her go."

"Foxy loves batty! Foxy loves batty!" Nina childishly taunts Tails which the teasing almost makes Tails cry, "Now that would be much more interesting! I wonder what the offspring would look like, oh what unusually weird but cute babies they would be."

"That's enough out of you!" Alan chests up and supports Tails from Nina's child's play, a move that Tails would've never expected from the likes of Alan, "You have done nothing but hurt and fuck with him since day one. Miles is doing things for people that will more than likely never give him a damn thing in return. If he loves Rouge more than just a friend, that's his problem. You're an older woman Nina, behave like one!"

Nina and Tails stare at Alan in utter silence while Alan regains his royal composure before he unveils the real reason why he had Nina bring Tails here.

"Now I don't know how high your intellect is but it is higher than almost all of the populace of this known Earth, let alone your friends. And with that fact established, I think I should tell you why I brought you here." Alan readies himself to explain his proposition to Tails, "I know that despite your mental caliber, you are still yourself and therefore cannot be able to handle what you have been given all at once. However, I am willing to give you my aid, but I will admit that it will have a reasonable price tag. But the price will not be paid with money, gold, technology, weapons, goods, or even the Master and/or Chaos Emeralds, Miles. This price tag is unique, and you will have paid it in due time without yourself knowing it. Think of my aid as free of apparent cost."

"But what is your price Alan?" Tails asks Alan with not much trust placed in him for Tails has been conned before, "You know as well as I do that free doesn't exist in this world? What's your angle?"

"I need your help and you need mine, Miles." Alan answers Tails' question with sincerity, "We both know that you can get things done by yourself, even with my latent abilities, I still rely upon the aid of others. I am willing to help you out by helping you avoid the self-serving individuals such as… the likes of that S.P.E.C. leader… he knows where Sonic is, but he's more bent on putting the likes of him and yourself in the grave. I've worked with him before, only suffering and death will come from him because that's his business, killing the living for a monetary price regardless of lives ruined or lost. But I think I can help you out by making him or whoever you wish have… exposure of their true intentions, only then I could ensure that you, your friends, and that certain someone make a safe return."

"I would normally object to figures of high rank such as yourself," Tails speaks to Alan as business partners should, "but I have no other alternatives but to accept your aid."

"Only if you don't object, I will help." Alan responds while pouring himself another mixed drink of Sharp's Spirit Fluid and Tomato Juice, "Nina will take you back where you should be. Good day, Miles."

Nina spirits away herself and Tails to go back to Prison Island which leaves Alan to himself with hard drink in hand, "Unfortunately Miles, that child that is growing within that bat you have strong feelings for is of my interest. But it will be okay, having one child die out of six is a good ratio. The child will only live a sad life of bad health and not being born strong like her siblings. But she will be blessed with the most beautiful name… Kristal."


	16. Operation: GTFO(This Place's Not For Me)

"Hello Paul, welcome! Boy that's a nice ride you got from your dead dad." D.C. greets Paul while he gets out of his car and prepares to complete his business deal with D.C. "Well, I'll take you to that Talladega now, I hope you'll be pleased with my handy work."

"I'm sure I will Mirror Man, take me to it." Paul returns his business partner's greeting with his signature coldness, "After you do that, I'll pay ya and take the car."

"Okay, I'll show you the car!" D.C. says back to Paul while throwing the garage door open. Revealing Paul his hired work's finished product.

"My oh my, you've certainly outdid yourself this time." Paul pervs out over the reborn car, a polar opposite of what it used to be when he rolled it into D.C.'s facility. "It's ready for my leave; it'll look great across the pond! A survivor like myself of a world that once was! Here's the cash and the keys and paperwork to the car."

"Pleasure doing business for the final time Paul, I'll miss ya man!" D.C. astonishingly responds with the paperwork and the money, "Got a full double tank of 116 octane as you ordered, and to think this vehicle will be the last built here… damn shame when you realize it."

"Government's a damn shame Mirror Man; they always interfere and fuck with and destroy people's lives." Paul replies while hoping in his new car which has the keys in the ignition, ready for him. "But that's why we move on; we don't need the elite in order to live unlike those sorry suburban bastards. They'll be the first to be wiped…"

"If it can live, it can die. Good luck out there Paul, I'll miss you bud. It's been fun knowing ya, you better make your way out of here quickly. Before too long, they're going to be blocking the Trans-Atlantic Bridge before we know it!"

"Will do man! I'll spin out these Goodyear Eagles a bit to warm them up before I leave for good." Paul cracks while he rolls out from the shop onto the tarmac, "Have a good life man." Paul mashes the gas and makes his share of tire smoke before being gone for good.

"Have a good life,' he said. 'If it can live, it can die,' he said." D.C. monologues while he idles his new acquirement into the shop and shits all of the shop's doors before going to a lift that is located in the southeastern corner of the shop and lowers himself into the depths of his own creation, "Better pack my bags then, there's going to be a long journey ahead."


	17. Moral Implications Of Adoption

As Amy, Knuckles, & Shade soldier on with Maria & Jarrell under their care, Gris and Claude follow behind close enough to eat the soles of their shoes. Gris can ever get so close to Shadow and Rouge's babies, but could never find an opening big enough to swipe them from their ceaseless protectors.

Unwittingly entering Gris' playground, Amy, Shade, & Knuckles with Maria & Jarrell approach New Vegas, a place of many skeletons in its closet that are flawlessly concealed under all the lights and glamour.

"Perfect! I'm sure I can nab them now!" Gris gloats with a Cheshire grin big enough to eat five Big Macs, "I may be a set of stranger eyes to them, but I will make sure they will be raised right."

"As long as you change your niece and nephew's diaper, I could give a shit what you do." Claude responds carelessly to his business partner while he readies himself for what comes ahead. "However, it might be neat to see what they look like."

"Aha! You motherfucker, I knew it!" Gris digs into Claude over his comment, "You do care!"

"No, I did not say that. I just said it might be neat to see what they look like." Claude says while he keeps an eye on that St. Regis that carries Mara & Jarrell, "Keep your attention on your own relatives' location cocksucker. I have no time for you head games!"

Meticulously following Maria & Jarrell's caretakers all the way to the strip, where Gris gets out on foot while Claude gets behind the wheel and follows the St. Regis with the car. On and on, Gris and Claude pursue ever so closely to the babies and their babysitters. While hitting a hard bump in the road, a slip of paper drop out of the glove compartment of the car Claude is driving.

"Chaos Emeralds…" Claude wows over the shining emeralds for he has never seen one, let alone two before. Claude notices the slip of paper and reads it while keeping on the tail end of the St. Regis., yhe paper reads as follows…

Collect my sister's children.

Bring them up in my own image.

Give the two babies two Chaos Emeralds.

?

If all goes well…

"If all goes well…" Claude contemplates to himself while he ghosts the car carrying the two babies that he had just figured out about some of the great plan to what is going on here. "But that last bit has been tampered with, I cannot read it… damn it… why did I get into this business anyway? I did damn near everything, but kidnapping family members? Organizations will do anything these days. Hate it or like it, I got to do my job. Moral implications have nothing to do with this, it will be my downfall if it becomes such."


	18. Yuri's Adventure In Heat

"Thanks for letting me work in your beauty parlor with you." Yuri thanks her sister for what she has done for her sibling, "I'm ever grateful for this."

"You can work here anytime you wish Yuri, just don't cause trouble." Yuri's sister answers with a sweet sisterly hug, "I've done so much to reform this family and cleanse our name of the crime and bad deeds that our brothers' committed many moons ago. I'm glad that you didn't get sucked into that bad juju."

"I'm just trying to right my wrongs," Yuri speaks to her Hermana kindly, "I like the idea of being a…"

"Mama! Mama! Mama! Mi hermano es un mal chico! Mi hermano es un mal chico!" Yuri's sister's daughter runs crying to her mom and begins tugging on her legs and tail.

"I know what you're going to say Yuri; I think you should think it over before you have kids of your own." Yuri's sister replies while picking up her daughter and trying to get her to stop crying. "Maybe you should make sure your life is straight and your mate's is too. And try to find a hombre worth his weight and one who's not a dirt bag."

Yuri takes in her sister's advice before responding with, "You are a mom with kids, and I'll take your word for it. You do know best. I guess I'll go back home now, have a good day sis."

Yuri makes her way out of the beauty parlor and walks down the street that's consumed by the evening glow. On the way home in East El Monte, Yuri sees a passing patrol car. At first, Yuri thinks nothing of it until she notices the car make a U-turn and idly goes right for her.

"Well, I guess my stay here's over." Yuri soliloquies while she flees from the patrol car whilst utilizing her feline capabilities to jump, climb, and dash over any obstacle that stands in her way. Approaching her safe house, Brutus done mauled the police that was there. Yuri stood still at the vivid sight of Brutus covered in blood and beating the insides out of whoever tried to take him on.

"Um… Brue… you can stop now…" Yuri pleas to an outraged Brutus who goes right up to her and licks her like a docile puppy despite the carnage he caused.

"Yuri!" Brutus cries out while he tongues his friend like a youthful pup, "I missed you so much!"

"Okay, okay, you can stop now. I missed you to." Yuri replies to the best of her ability to sound happy as if to not distract Brutus with the thought of what he did was wrong at all, "Remember that magical place we always wanted to go to but we had to be ready to go to?"

"Um… yes I do remember!" Brutus gets excited over what Yuri is speaking of, a new adventure with him and Yuri never ceases to captivate his immature mind, "Is it time we go!?"

"Yes… but we got to get a few things…" Yuri rushes inside and gets all of her necessary supplies ready, including that faithful UZI that she still has from her prison escape with Ben, Yuri thinks to herself, "I hope he's okay…"

"You miss… Ben… do you?" Brutus begins to realize what is going on with Yuri, "It's okay, I'm a big boy. I… understand, I... like… Ben… too."

"Only if you knew!" Yuri grapples onto Brutus for security while she bawls, "It would be the end of me if you went missing!"

"I… I… feel… empty when… you're gone… do I love… you?" Brutus wraps around Yuri but with a softness and control that could only be offered by affection, "I… want… you… bad…"

"I want you too Brutus, I want you too…" Yuri gives a warm smooch to Brutus before adorning Brutus with his signature collar and chain, "But we must leave now, I'm in danger and so are you."

Brutus understands what Yuri means by danger and Brutus' defensive instincts surface by biting the back of Yuri's shirt and begins to leave as soon as Yuri had her gun and backpack full of survival materials. The police and civilians couldn't make sense of why Brutus' protection over Yuri let alone a cat when he should be ripping Yuri into jerky because of her feline origins. Brutus bravely plows through anything in his path with Yuri's shirt in his mouth. After a few intense minutes of testosterone-induced ramming and running, Brutus and Yuri manage to leave El Monte along with Los Angeles. Brutus keeps going until he runs out of steam by a set of railroad tracks.

"Damn, you certainly know how to make an exit." Yuri applauds Brutus' tireless effort with a prize that Yuri thought nobody could earn, "I think you've earn a big prize for doing all of this for me. But you must turn around until I say you can look, okay?"

"Uh… okay…" Brutus unwittingly turns around as Yuri commands; Yuri takes a moment to pull off what little remains of her torn-up tank top and exposes her braless chest.

"You can turn back now," Yuri already begins to blush over the idea of doing this to her friend of many years, "This is your reward for taking care of me."

"Um… you're… uh… what are going… mmm…" Brutus fails to understand what is going on with Yuri being topless.

"This is your reward for saving me you big pooch!" Yuri answers Brutus' confusion while she grabs Brutus' head and rubs his cold, wet dog nose all over her chest. "Oh… your nose feels good to… rub and release… my stress…"

While Yuri simulates her womanly traits with Brutus, a train on a yellow signal goes by them slowly and the engineer of the first locomotive cannot believe what he is witnessing while he idles by with a flabbergasted expression. The brakeman in the second cab of the train shoots a high quality video with his expensive phone while he smiles spryly.

"Yuri… is… this… bad?" Brutus just doesn't take the hint of how rare this opportunity is to experience Yuri's femininity.

"There's… nothing… (moan) wrong… with love… Brute." Yuri begins to massage her chest on Brutus' face energetically until she exhausts herself, "pant… pant… I… wanted to… pant… pant… share that… now let's… get on… the train…"

Brutus swipes up his kitty and takes himself and Yuri into an empty boxcar and head to destination unknown. While the sun sets and moon raises high into the sky, the rocking of the train rocks Brutus to sleep which gives Yuri time to think to herself.

"I think spring's rolling in. Even though we are somewhat civilized like the humans, I'm feeling the heat. What horrid timing to begin my natural calling, to mate. If I do anymore to Brutus, it'll only alienate me more. What a worst day to be a female feline in the throws of being in heat and ready for a mate, fucking great to be me, on the run and in baby making mode. I cannot slow down now, but I need to do something because I need to lose the heat while being in heat... perfect..."


	19. Ben's Subconscious Consciousness

"Ben… Ben… It's time I open your eyes." A disembodied, directionless voice echoes out to Ben. "Get up you dog."

Ben gets up off the surface and stands on his own two feet. Looking at all points of his compass, Ben searches for something that isn't white. To the west, there's a black spec out there that's barely visible. Ben begins running to it to figure out what it is. Much to Ben's lack of understanding, there's a man in a clean white suit with black combed hair and a briefcase full of gold coins that idly sits on a bench and tosses then into a stone well with a golden plaque that's completely blank.

"Excuse me sir," Ben asks as polite as he can to the man out in the middle of the void who is the only company that the well has ever had, "Where am I?"

"I know where you are, but this place has no name." The white man responds while he continues his coin tossing uninterrupted, "Like this well, I have yet to be named myself."

"Why don't you or this well have a name?" Ben enquires while being completely lost on the idea of having no name.

"When you are everything, you become inexplicable." The man briefly stops tossing his coins and picks a couple more out of his case, "Because names are meant for explanation, me or this well don't have one. Make sense?"

"Are you god?" Ben says while his mind warps under pressure of what is happening, "Is this heaven?"

"Heaven is explainable, this place is not. God is explainable, I am not. God is nothing but an image forged by living things to cope with things that have no explanation or meaning. Only the most intelligent beings conclude that god is not possible. Unfortunately, most living beings don't make it that far without the unconditional destruction of themselves due to lack the conclusion that explanation doesn't exist for everything. If you don't believe me, take a look in that well."

Like the man suggested, Ben looks into the well only to find specks of light like the starry night. Ben cannot believe his eyes as a meteor streams by.

"See, this proves that explanations aren't necessary." The white man says right before pushing Ben into the well and sending him into space at an unfathomable speed. Ben streams across space which for reasons unexplained that Ben is breathing out there, let alone screaming at the top of his lungs. Near-missing planets and space junk, Ben hurls along and eventually finds himself on a crash course with Earth. Ben crosses his arms in front of his face as if to protect himself but it isn't going to help him in any way, shape, or form. Ben streaks by Space Colony ARK and punches through Earth's atmosphere effortlessly and flies over the surface. Ben nears the British Isles and flies uncontrollably into London, England. Ben soon enters the Tower Of London through an open window and crashes onto the floor with bone-crushing force but like everything so far, Ben somehow didn't become hamburger. Ben begins to gain a headache from what has happened in such small amount of time and suffering from information overload.

"What's going on? This doesn't work logically! None of this does!" Ben shouts about like a mad man in the spacious room before noticing a brass machine that has a blue-purple liquid that flows over its own brass parts and glow that matches the color of the liquid illuminates and pulses slowly from the center and behind all of the tight fitting brass springs, levers, cogs, and arms. The whole instrument is concealed in an incredibly thick glass container. In the background, Big Ben audibly rings its massive bell because the time is 12:00 noon. With the first ring of the bell, a lone wind up car bravely rolls up to Ben with its lights shining brightly due to being at a full wind and its compact generator spinning at a proper speed to work efficiently. But due to the model car being an antique toy, the wind up car quickly loses its wind and rolls to a stop right at Ben's feet and the lights fade out in sync with the car losing its speed.

"Well if this isn't neat, I don't know what is. Come here you little toy." Ben says to himself while he reaches for the collectable but his hands only go through the toy instead of grabbing it, which drives Ben furious and kicks the car which his foot also passes thru, "Fucking shit! Fuck fuck fuck!"

"You are controlling the fastest train in the world! The most revolutionary machine on tracks! The Incredible Turbo Train!" An old TV ad plays while Ben walks away from the brass machine and toy car and to the television set. "From TYCO… of course!"

"We now return to, rail safety, on BBC." Ben attempts to sit on the chair nearest to the TV but only to pass through it, an irritated Ben sits uncomfortably on the floor while he watches TV. "On 17 July 1984, or 17 July 3984 by the universal calendar index, the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) tested safe containment and transportation of nuclear components such as spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants and nuclear vessels. To prove that safe transportation of rather hazardous material is possible, a demonstration was shown to the public. The demonstration shown that even an impact from a speeding 161 kilometer-per-hour train, the newly designed nuclear flask proved safe and worry-free as the pressure inside the container wasn't lost despite such a spectacular crash. But with the discovery and power of the Chaos Emeralds as they are known by the public, a new problem emerges in safe transportation of volatile and unsafe materials. Dr. Ailbe Kalgan, a long-time scientist and recent addition in the mission of safe transportation for these highly unstable Emeralds explains what could potentially happen if an emerald were to suffer a collision similar to the demonstration on July 17th."

"It would be very catastrophic and fatal, most people and even self-proclaimed scientists such as the well-known Dr. Ivo Robonik, or Dr. Eggman known to some, don't realize the dangers and destructive capacity of these emeralds." Dr. Kalgan says in the press recording, "The potential of the Chaos Emeralds is even greater than nuclear energy as well as the risks. We have made personal copies of Chaos Emeralds only to puposely destroy a couple for testing. The end result was destructive capacity previously unrivaled to that of atomic weapons. If the copies don't match the power of the originals, who knows what could happen. Potentially, the Master Emerald can easily destroy this planet. Tampering with the already waning stability of the emeralds could mean your grave and it is best we keep these away from public use."

"Even though, as with nuclear energy," The narrator returns after Kalgan's press coverage, "rail appears to be the safest route in transport of these Chaos Emeralds, there exists no safe containers and fail-safes as of late to ensure proper handling however. But as the payloads change along with the rest of the world, rail will always be proven the safest alternative when it comes to handling hazardous materials such as nuclear elements or transporting passengers safely to and from work."

"You're learning about the world Ben? Who says people cannot learn in their sleep." Loid speaks to Ben from behind him.

"Don't bother me Loid, I'm… watching… T… V…" Ben's natural reply slows once he figured out Loid's talking to him. Loid just grins coolly to Ben's realization.

"I think it's time I open your eyes." Loid speaks to an overwhelmed Ben.

Meanwhile on Prison Island, Ben begins to move around slightly and subconsciously growl in his bed as if he's having a nightmare, Ben's body is responding to his adventure in his mind. The scanners alert the staff of his current brain activity and nurses rush in to see what's happening. The G.U.N. Commander notices all of the transpiring events and watches steadily.

"Is there any way we can visually see what's going on in his mind? We must know!" The commander asks one of the nurses while Ben returns to his normal comatose disposition.

"Sorry sir, we have to wait until he either regains consciousness or we need to switch over to the next recording unit." The nurse answers while writing on her clip board of what just happened.

"Damn it!" The commander swears in anger, "We need to see into that fucker's mind! He knows what happened and we need to know too! Shit!"


	20. Visiting Alan

"So what has happened? Why am I like this?" Ben asks Loid with an overloading mind. "Am I dead!?"

"NO, I'm the one who's dead." Loid answers disappointingly to Ben's conclusion jumping, "Semper Fi, remember that jazz? I'm here to help you one last time before I'm gone for good."

"So… where am I?" Ben continues on with his questions, "What happened?"

"You're in a coma… unfortunately…" Loid resumes telling Ben what's happened, "Your body's in a safe place? But your body is the least of your worries as of now. I think I should show you a couple of things… very important things…"

"Like what?" Ben worries and looks about the large room in paranoia.

"Do you know anything about Ravens?" Loid asks Ben while he looks in a particular question.

"Jack shit, why?" Ben answers right before footsteps become audible; Loid snatches Ben and dips behind the brass machine. Loid and Ben look around the edge and watch a raven pick up the wind-up toy and contemplate it for a minute.

"I better put you back up; I wonder how you got out here all by yourself." The raven talks to the toy as if it's an animate object like an animal or person.

"Who is…" Ben asks but Loid cuts him off immediately. The raven stops walking right as Ben got silenced and stands still for one minute, he looks toward the mechanical marvel that Ben and Loid are hiding behind as if somebody's actually there. He then walks back to the desk with the TV and puts the toy back where it belongs and sits down on the very chair Ben tried to sit on. The raven shuts off the TV, and turns on the adjacent computer and record player which he begins to play a record off of the record player.

"I think this record is fitting…" The raven speaks with himself, "I think there is Spirits in the Material World." The raven places the needle on the record and begins to play The Police's Spirits in the Material World.

"I know what you're going to ask Ben, this raven is none other than Alan Enrave." Loid begins to explain to Ben, "Alan's different than any other person or animal of this planet, not only he can view the future but he can see spirits and hear our interactions. A talker to the dead and the seer of the future, he's also only second to the British Royal Family in chain of command. Imagine the vice president but only the Royal Family can override his decisions. He's also captivated by a particular child of Shadow's."

"Good, I hope he makes the little thing suffer." Ben comments harshly due to his hatred of Shadow, "That piece of shit cost me my future and I hope his child will suffice for the debt."

"Oh, the child will Ben, but not because I'll enjoy killing her." Alan responds to Ben and Loid's conversation, "But I think making YOU suffer will be more entertaining! How's it going Loid? Filling in that clueless Shepherd about what fun he's missing out? In fact, once you awaken Ben, show up back here so I can rid of you quickly!"

"Let's jet Ben! He's the only one that can hurt you like this!" Loid warns Ben while he fazes himself and Ben through the walls and into another part of the Tower Of London. It's Alan personal bedroom, complete with bed, dresser, and personal bathroom. An armored carry case with seven emerald slots lays open on his bed with two Chaos Emeralds already collected. On top of the dresser lie two quick set, easy-stick timed plastic explosives, both with slips of paper attached to them for where they're going to be placed. Above the dresser is a set of photos with one empty place for a photo that is labeled 'final target' that's been stabbed with a knife.

"What the hell is this?" Ben says aloud while he looks at the two pieces of terrorist tools, "Let's see… G.U.N. car is one on the left, but I cannot flip the paper over to see the next one… damn it!"

"Have you seen these Emeralds Ben?" Loid asks Ben while pointing them out, "I think he's into collecting them."

"Aha! Wankers!" Alan barges in furiously and ready to make Ben and Loid into spiritual tampons for his Nira, "Get over here fuckers!"

"I think our stays over Ben; I'll take you to the next place." Loid grabs Ben by the arm and with a mere tug sends himself and Ben airborne, leaving Alan and the Tower Of London behind him.

"Where are we going now?" Ben asks while he watches the landscape turn from sea and lush green land into frigid ice and snow.

"I think you're going to love what awaits you in Severnaya Zemlya." Loid answers as they near the North Pole.

"Seven-what?" Ben doesn't understand what Loid said what the place was due to it not being an English name.

"Northern Land. Ready to use your Russian tongue Ben?" Loid quips as they near the archipelago's artic base. The base looks small on the surface with only a small building and radar installation which is next to a very large smokestack.

"They got nuclear power here!" Loid comments as Ben doesn't know that this place even existed let alone what Loid's about to show Ben the interior. "Ready for your mind to be blown?"

"I think it already has been Loid" Ben winces over another headache simply because of what he's been through already. The idea of seeing what he seen already is more than enough to cause himself a bitter migraine and there's plenty more secrets for Loid to show.


	21. Facility 625

"Here it is, the Red's Lair." Loid begins to tell Ben about the remote location, "Or if you want the proper name, Nikolay Burdenko Memorial Center of Study, or Facility 265 for short."

"What the hell are they doing out here near the North Pole!?" Ben questions as he's afraid of what awaits under the vacant surface. "I mean I can understand Alan being near the people since he basically rules them but why did these people build this all the way out here?"

"Secrets, Ben, secrets that I'm about to show you." Loid answers while passing through the icy surface of Severnaya Zemlya where he shows Ben the comparatively lively activity that is transpiring under the ice and snow. "See, wouldn't you want to keep this entire citadel secret?"

"My…" Ben ogles over the massive storage of tanks, trucks, artillery, and any other piece of military hardware known as far as the eye can see. All of the vehicles are stored with fresh oil, full tanks of gas, full ammunition, and kept surgically clean and ready for action. "I bet Cobra from G.I. Joe wishes he had this place."

"This is only the tip of the blood iceberg Ben, there's even more going on!" Loid snatches Ben and drags him down to the next floor down which is very much like a training facility complete with simulated weather and AstroTurf grass that always stays the same height. On one side of this massive manmade environment is a circle track with an obstacle course and football field in the center where people are currently running on the track. But for some reason, the activity at the track and field stops immediately and everyone there groups together in a horizontal line that runs parallel to the start/finish line of the track. An N.R.O. Officer begins speaking to the group at the track.

"Attention everyone!" Loid translates for Ben of what the officer's saying. "We must take our mandatory couple hour break early due to a surprise member arriving to take a personal health exam. She will be available and integrated into our group once she has completed her personal test."

The men in the group ooh at the idea of a new woman entering the group and gets excitement of the new addition.

"What is the girl's name?" One of the men crack out a question to the officer, "Can I have her number? Is she attractive?"

"Her name is Maria. That is the only information I have on the girl." The officer answers the question while the mystery girl shows up on time and prepared for the athletic exam "Okay, all of you go to your quarters, now!"

The mystery girl waits on the bench with her black hair with red highlights and sunglasses to conceal her eyes, of which her right eye is a blazing red while her left eye is a deep dark blue. Her athletic wear for her personal exam is an ocean blue tank top and a pair of aquamarine shorts but for reasons unexplained remains barefoot. She isn't like any of the other females present here due to her physical shape that is too perfect to be human by anyone's standards. Defying orders, the soldier who asks his officer about the girl walks up to the near-white skinned woman who has her back turned on the guy.

"What are you doing!?" The officer shouts over to the ignorant man, "She's not ready for interaction with our group by any means idiot! She not ready!"

"Hello there. My name's Igor, my officer told me your name is Maria." The unwitting soldier holds out his hand for the mystery girl to shake but the girl keeps her back turned on him, "Are you shy? I just want to say…"

Faster than the grunt could ever think let alone react, the mystery girl spins around quicker than reflex and twists his arm effortlessly with one hand, almost to the point of breaking his arm off. The woman doesn't break a sweat or utter a sound while the soldier does his best to choke back his tears and not squeal in pain so he doesn't look weak in front of the other men.

"Hi… you're strength… is heartwarming… Maria… you're… so… lovely…" The wincing trooper says while he gasps for air before the girl lets go of his arm and shoves him across the gritty AstroTurf back with the other men.

"Stupid." The officer calls out the soldier while he gets up and cradles his arm; the other troops speed up and leave the girl to herself.

"Who the hell is that!?" Ben asks Loid in awe of the girl's strength capability who apparently is not interested in a relationship with any male of that group.

"Take a closer look Ben. That might answer your question." Loid suggests while he watches Be go up to the girl who takes off her high-tint glasses and surprises Ben with her identity.

"Maria Robotnik!?" Ben gawks while the girl folds her glasses and adjusts her undergarments, "What did they do!?"

"Impressive what neurosurgery and gene splicing can do to a woman, right?" Loid comments while Ben continues to look at the new and improved Maria. "Isn't this what Gerald was going for? She's cured of NIDS and healthier than either one of us. Well, I'm dead so I don't count. Can't you see she's better off this way?"

"Who's side are you on Loid!?" Ben growls out at Loid who smirks at what has happened to Maria, "It was my job to prevent this! But I've failed beyond my own comprehension! Is being dead transforming you into a really big dick Loid?"

"Isn't all things fair in love and war Ben? I cannot wait until Shadow figures this one out!" Loid cackles from his seat on the bleachers, "That poor fucker has another thing coming to him! Besides, I can open my fucking mouth now and there's nothing nobody can do about it!"

"Maria!" A general walks up to the new and improved Maria, equipped with a stop watch and clipboard in hand. The general begins to explain what Maria needs to do for the exam.

"You know Ben, come up here, have a seat, and watch her perform." Loid offers while he generates a cold beer out of thin air and drinks it. "I bet this will be impressive."

Maria walks out to the track, stretches her legs, and gets ready to run while the general gets his stop watch ready.

"Go!" The general shouts and Maria begins to do her laps on the track which are very fast, the general cannot believe his eyes as Maria runs a mile lap in less than a minute. The general forgets to even stop his stop watch from the awe-inspiring feat.

"Um… congrats Maria… you pass the endurance tests with flying colors. Now what I need you to do is to complete this course as fast as you can…" The general says to Maria and as with the track test, Maria completes it faster than anyone has tried before. The general writes on his clipboard while Maria waits patiently in front of him.

"Well… it appears you pass again… I am General Ourumov, nice to be your testing supervisor." The general holds out his hand and Maria grabs it tightly, surprising the general with her strength capability as well. "I'll take the results to get them filed, please stick around; I got someone who would like to meet you." The general leaves the track and field all to Maria again.

"What the hell was that!?" Ben shouts to Loid in awe of what they did to Maria's physical capabilities, "She's nothing like she was before!"

"Stick around a little longer, there's one more thing you need to see here." Loid replies while a very tall man in a lab coat pops out of a false floor next to the bench where Maria is. The scientist gives Maria a specially formulated drink that picks Maria right up after doing the testing.

"I must tell Dr. Black that Maria needs stabilizing, her fused genetics are still reacting." The scientist speaks to himself while returning to the false floor and disappears from sight.

"Okay, now the shows over. Let's move along now, I don't have much longer left to help you Ben. There's one more place I need to take you before I'm gone for good." Loid says to Ben while Loid's presence begins to show its flaws and closing expiration. "Grab my hand Ben, I'm nearly gone."

Ben takes Loid's hand and spirits away himself and Ben back to Prison Island to show him what left he can reveal to Ben.


	22. Remerging

"Now what some sort of abomination awaits me on Prison Island?" Ben asks Loid whilst with his arms crossed as he thinks what could be last thing Loid has in store for him.

"As much as you don't like Shadow, I think it's best that I show you how he's like now." Loid answers Ben much to Ben's dislike of Shadow. "I think it might be helpful in considering what he's like now as he will be once he figures out what is going on with everything, especially the secret of Maria being resurrected in the most magnificently wrong way. I think it might change your mind once you realize what could be Pandora's Box with a faulty seal and about ready to explode fantastically."

"I hope he suffers and kills himself! Fucker deserves it!" Ben grunts and scoffs at the idea of being on Shadow's side, "No fucking way I'm going to."

"You better you fucking low piece of shit! The only one who got your hands dirty was you!" Loid scolds Ben like an intense flame and verbally torches Ben while wrapping his hands around Ben's neck, "You were supposed to deactivate the procedure where if the Chaos Emeralds were to be interfered with in Gerald's master plan, Biolizard was set free and replace it with the space station blowing up without a countdown before you left and none of this would've ever happened. Everything that has been shitty with Shadow and yourself is because of you Ben! You could've not let that thing free and ended it all but you couldn't stand Shadow at all! You wanted to fucking ruin him, I'm glad the shoe's on the other foot for you. You deserve where you're at Ben. All of this couldn't have happened if you weren't a fucking cocksucker. In fact, you owe Shadow one fucking hell of an apology! I didn't want this to be one of the final things out of my mouth before I'm gone for good but if it's going to be someone that's got to say it, it always has to be me! Until… the… very… end… Now watch Shadow before I make things really ugly for you to a level that Shadow and Alan combined could only wish they could do."

Ben shuts up after Loid's vibrant outburst and watches what Loid wanted to show him before Loid's consciousness vanishes for good.

"Good boy, good dog." Loid cuts Ben down to size while Shadow and Rouge have their private moment.

"So you really missed me that much after all this time? Is that what you honestly wanted to confess to me down there?" Shadow asks his yet-to-be-wed spouse, Rouge while his eyes tear up. "I feel awful for doing that to you. I'm glad Amy & Tails took care of you."

"But you came back for me; you shown me that you're still the brave one I had twins with." Rouge accepts her lover's apology and dries his eyes for him, "You're still the best for me and that's all there is to it. Now let's head back to the base before they send a search party to find us. I wonder what happened to Tails, we haven't seen him since that attack earlier. He was waiting at the entrance of the underground for me. "

"I thought he would've conveniently interrupted our playtime together." Shadow replies while looking around for Tails as he heads back to base with Rouge.

"Well, you happy now?" Ben pops off with a remark that pushes Loid's buttons.

"Oh wait… I got one MORE thing to show you Ben." Loid responds to Ben with an easy to fall for line, "Turn around."

"What is it…" Ben gets cut off by a massive kick to his spiritual jaw from Loid which set him sailing over Prison Island and into the high-security hospital on the island on the other side.

"Don't be a fucking snob once you reunite yourself Ben, that's my only request. Do you and me a favor too. Visit a man by the name of Dennison Crosley. Also try to visit dataDyne Corp.'s Headquarters, remember that scientist you seen on T.V.? Find him too, he should be there!" Loid shouts at Ben from afar before finally evaporating, "I'm only dead for good if you don't remember me! I did my best to help you! It's all up to you now! Have a nice li…"

Ben passes through the ceiling and lands near himself roughly in the hospital, which even landing hard as a spirit doesn't stir even the lightest of paper and ambient dust. Ben gets up on his feet and looks over at the very nice G.U.N. Commander who is sitting in a chair reading the golfing column in the Sports section of the newspaper on the other side of the glass window that overlooks Ben's body.

"Asshole doesn't even have a red carpet for my return, what a dickhead." Ben walks to his own bedside and the radio near his resting body is playing the song Alan was playing earlier on record, which reminds Ben of what Loid had shown him and the favors he requested.

"Sometimes I think Loid got the better end of the deal than me..." Ben says while he lays in the bed with his body, readying to remerge with himself, "I guess we are all spirits in a material world."


	23. Thorns, Roses, A Duel, & Uniting A Tribe

At Whiskey Pete's Truck Stop in Goodsprings, NV; an awfully exhausted red hedgehog behind the wheel of his Western Star 18-Wheeler rolls in after picking up a payload coming from Central City. Taking a much required break, the old but still burly man parks his truck in one of the available slots and walks in to get something to eat. He orders a roast beef sandwich, curly fries, and an athletic drink. While the food gets prepared by the chefs, he takes a minute to call someone at the nearby payphone who he can only call nowadays and hasn't seen in-person for a long time.

"Hello… is this Aziza Rose?" A masculine voice on the other end of the telephone line kindly asks to an aged, mature light pink hedgehog who's idly watching TV at her house back in Central City after doing some rigorous exercising as she was recommended to do by her doctor when she was finished with her heart surgery.

"Yes… this is Aziza…" Aziza answers to the man through the telephone, who smiles at the thought of still remembering her phone number. "Is this who I think it is?"

"I hope so… I should've visited when I was in Central City but I couldn't remember your address to save my life." The caller answers while the background activity at the truck stop can be heard over the phone. "How's Amy? I think I sent her some money if I remember right."

"Yes you did David, Amy's doing very well. Amy and her friends went on a road trip; she said she's in New Vegas right now."

"Well I'm in Goodsprings right now which isn't too far away from New Vegas. I'll get something to eat and I can muster myself to drive that little extra distance."

"Don't endanger yourself David Thorn! You dying before meeting you again will be the end of me! Be safe out there! But if you do make it to New Vegas, Amy's checked in a hotel room at that casino that's like a pyramid… I can't remember its name."

"I'll be safe Aziza, you can count on that. I'm going to get something to eat now, don't hurt yourself… I almost couldn't live with myself during your stay in the hospital because of your surgery. I worried about you."

"Amy was worrying too; she was upset throughout my whole stay there. It still bothers her; I guess I overworked myself from working on construction sites and railroad maintenance and I'm paying for it. I still cannot believe I was able to avoid getting smacked by that oncoming freight train in my maintenance of way truck, I guess disengaging the rail wheels and driving of that blind rail curve saved my life even though the truck got rolled over quite a bit and smacked a trackside signal. I'm surprised I didn't miscarry after that accident but I was only less than a month carrying Amy. Well I better let you go eat, tell Amy I said hello if you do go to New Vegas."

"I will, good night Aziza. Love you!"

"Love you too, be careful."

After hanging up the telephone, the red hedgehog's order is ready for him to pick up. David picks up his meal and chooses a window seat and begins to consume his meal. While does so, he looks over at his truck in the parking lot for a minute to see if anyone is messing with it which there is no one near his truck. He finishes eating but sits by himself for a few minutes to clear his mind and takes his daily vitamin with his drink. With consuming his meal and vitamin, leaving his stamina restored enough for the drive to New Vegas; David refills his cup and leaves for his truck waiting outside.

David climbs up and inside his 18-Wheeler, places his refilled cup into the closest cup holder, clicks his safety belt together, and rolls his truck out to the road. Rocketing out from the older hedgehog's blind spot at the intersection, a dirty and grungy 1954 Peterbilt 281 pulling an equally dated fuel tanker trailer thunders right out in front of David's Western Star going over 110 miles per hour with marginally effective headlights and completely without additional lights of any type save the necessary headlights, taillights, and turn signals, of which are lit with antiquated and dim incandescent bulbs. David's eyes barely made out the dim lights and stopped before the other 18-Wheeler collided with him.

"Son-of-a-bitch! Do you know what the speed limit is!?" David shouts in anger over almost being crashed into before moving out onto the road. David begins to accelerate his truck up to the 70 MPH speed limit and soon meets up with the rusting tanker truck, which looks like it could give somebody Tetanus if one wasn't careful with themselves, going the modest 50 MPH with vision-reducing rich black diesel smoke billowing out of the ineffective muffler.

"You were in a hurry earlier bud, you burn a ring?" The hedgehog truck driver asks rhetorically while the antique tractor trailer continues to slow down to a crawling 35 MPH and make more smoke much to David's annoyance. Nearing the intersection to Interstate 15, the grimy truck slows to a halt and even at an idle, the truck still pollutes considerably. The Peterbilt idles and turns for the entry to Interstate 15 but acting like the truck is breaking down, stops in the middle of the intersection and almost consumes the whole space. The driver of the supposedly broken-down 281 Peterbilt waves his arm out of the window, signaling David to pass.

"Well it's about time." David speaks aloud while he takes the narrow opening, only for the ravaged-looking Peterbilt to stop pretending to be broken-down and roars to life, blasting out a ripe cloud of smoke while it almost clips the back corner of the red hedgehog's trailer.

"Wow, absolutely beautiful…" David watches the near miss while he gets his Western Star up to speed; the dirtied Peterbilt follows suit albeit slightly slower than David's Western Star tractor-trailer. The ruffled up hedgehog, who is getting tired of the Peterbilt's antics, speeds up to 75 MPH, which is the common speed truckers go in Nevada. The delighted hedgehog then cheers himself for overtaking that hassling Peterbilt and goes for New Vegas. Meanwhile, the 1954 Peterbilt waits back before it gains speed and pushes its Cummins 855 to get it going to 110 MPH which is very unsafe for an old truck that has no failsafe for its 50's era airbrakes and heavy bias-ply tires. David tunes into a rock station while unknowing of the incoming Peterbilt which is about to blow by him at almost 120 MPH. The Peterbilt's heavy mass and high speed rocks David's truck due to the Peterbilt's lack of aerodynamics and high-speed wind displacement which almost causes David to lose control and crash.

"I don't have time to play road games!" The enraging hedgehog roars out while he speeds up himself and tries to pass the Peterbilt, only for the Peterbilt to swerve in front of him to stay in front of David as a posted warning sign that states that road construction is in progress one mile ahead. After passing up that sign, the 1954 tractor-trailer slows down heavily to the posted speed of 50 MPH by combining engine braking and air braking to slow down faster while making an especially non-Kyoto friendly amount of pollution. The black clouds make matters more dangerous than it already is as David is driving late at night.

As the construction site nears, the Peterbilt that blockaded and harassed David and his Western Star all the way there, all of the sudden acts like a brand new truck with a completely competent driver. No clouds of smoke blasting out of the stack like a steam engine, if any plentiful exhaust at all, no excessive speed, no reckless driving. Nevada Highway Patrol watches the passing-by vehicles whereas road maintenance is underway. But once the Highway Patrol and the road construction disappear from sight, the 1954 Peterbilt picks up speed again and blows out smoke like never before but David seizes the opening by pushing his Western Star and makes a dangerous maneuver by swerving sharply around the accelerating Peterbilt and hooks over in front of it. The tactic works and David jumps in his seat and chuckles while he waves goodbye and taunts the Peterbilt in his rear-view.

Meanwhile 100 yards behind David, the Peterbilt 281 begins to regain its steam and begins rolling past the 90 MPH mark on the speedometer and a minute later, hits 105 MPH and is closing in hot on David and his Western Star. David becomes aware of his unknown & bitter road rival and begins to accelerate past 100 MPH himself. The mileage left to Las Vegas sign says 10 miles, but the two tractor-trailers fly by that sign so fast that there was no way they could've seen what it said. It took no time at all and the two 18-Wheelers were rolling into New Vegas between 115-120 MPH, almost double the 70 MPH speed limit and definitely not safe any truck, especially for the antiquated 1954 Peterbilt.

"That things looks like it'd been ate by a bear and shit off a cliff! How is he able to go so fast!?" David questions himself while they begin approaching some traffic. David drives and weaves his 18-Wheeler through cars and lanes while his pursuer who's been built back in 1954 keeps up despite being behind in brake and steering technology and working with tighter margins, all the while blasting its air horn angrily. Clocking in at 130 MPH, the front passenger steering tire finally gives in to the stress and blows out on David's Western Star which thrusts David and his truck right into a busy exit ramp. The Peterbilt 281 continues on and speeds off on Interstate 15 doing an identical speed but not without its turbocharger finally failing from abuse, which is indicated by the oily fireball blasting out of the 281's smoke stack and a loud nails-on-chalkboard whine coming from the failing engine part. David reels his truck into the turnout section of the exit ramp where no cars are present and slams his engine and air brakes to stop quickly. David blares through the busy exit and entrance ramps and almost strikes a crossing elderly couple who are sightseeing the Vegas nightlife. David finally slows his truck down to a stop more than a ¼ mile away from where he blew out his tire. The Peterbilt can be seen down the Interstate with fire shooting out of its exhaust more than a mile away and the truck continues on forcefully with the destroyed turbocharger.

David hops out of his Western Star and looks over his truck, which is in okay condition other than the blown front tire. David knocks the expired tire with the toe of his boots before replying with "What the hell was that all about? All I did was pass him up on the road."

The New Vegas Police and Nevada Highway Patrol show up shortly to where David's stopped at on the side of the Interstate. The Police and NHP already know what transpired at least in the New Vegas section all thanks to overpass and traffic cameras. David would already be cuffed and sent downtown but the NVPD already knew that David was just defending himself; he also didn't injure or kill anyone in the vehicular conflict.

"Okay, we'll send in a tow truck for your truck." The police say while they take notes of the truck's current condition and location so this incident can be properly filed. The footage caught by the camera clearly shows the 1954 Peterbilt 281 and David's Western Star and even though the truck has many licensing plates on the front, none of them could be made out due to the heavy weathering that the truck has had beforehand and reading them could be pointless due to them no longer possibly being in the computer databases anymore since the plates existed before computerized plate recording was put into place. The Peterbilt was also rusty, filthy, and even the windows were not clean except for where the wipers wiped the two piece windscreen clean enough for use, all or most of which can easily be cleaned off with a simple run through the wash.

An hour and a new front tire later, David drives over into the tractor-trailer parking lot of the pyramid like building that Aziza told him about earlier in his Western Star, which the name of the Egyptian-inspired construction turned out to be the Master De-Luxor. David steps out of his truck and takes a minute to look at the other tires and notices his new Michelin front tire's fresh rubber stands out in comparison to the other tires which have weathered and dirtied over extended use. David thinks he should take his truck through the wash himself before heading off to the Master De-Luxor building and checks into one of the open rooms available for use.

Meanwhile, Amy Rose keeps taking care of Maria and Jarrell in a hotel room she checked into while Shade and Knuckles went out for a walk someplace else in the Master De-Luxor. Amy finally manages to wear down Shadow and Rouge's children and puts them to bed for a while. Knuckles and Shade stumble upon a place of interest, an exhibit containing the two Chaos Emeralds left out of private hands.

"I knew these were in here somewhere. And as they should be, in no one's hands!" Shade looks them over and looks around only to see security personnel, cameras, and alarms set to go off in case of theft.

"You knew about this!?" Knuckles quotes and questions Shade with reasonable suspicion, "You plan on taking them Shade?"

"Don't be retarded! However, I know someone who is. And they plan on taking these soon… and possibly taking the kids along as a convenient two-for-one deal." Shade replies to Knuckles disappointed in the easily fallible and unhelpful logic that Knuckles unfortunately has.

"Who Shade? Are you apart of some sort of syndicate?" Knuckles scoffs at Shade whilst maintaining his suspicions.

"Stop being retarded, shut your mouth, open your ears, and listen to what I have to say." Shade gets tired of Knuckles' groundless framing, which is futile on Knuckles' behalf to do so, "There is a group, who happens to be related to a couple of children that are under our care. And so happens they like the idea of having them be taught various techniques about the wonders of living by thievery which is their family tradition so to speak and teaching the newborn's very impressionable minds will make them absolutely capable of a worldwide crime wave that is unlike any other before it, do you follow?"

"You know, it's amazing watching two echidna debate." An old black bird witticisms at Knuckles and Shade while sipping a neon green Margarita and sitting in a nearby bench, "For a second I thought I saw two museum pieces coming to life and started talking, but you two seem to do that just fine. It's a wonder you two can work together despite being from two different tribes of which almost wiped themselves out into extinction, the wonders of men wanting to get laid. In fact, I'm surprised like I said earlier that you two aren't museum pieces like these two emeralds and the other exhibits here."

"What do you want you mangy crow?" Shade growls at the thought of the black bird considering herself and Knuckles museum artifacts. "Don't you have maggot-infested carrion to go eat?"

"I'm not a crow despite my covet of consuming the dead which I thought you two in case that you two do finally die, would taste great. I think I would eat you Shade… pussy first. Maybe that's the tastiest part of your kind." The bird continues on much to Shade's disgust being lunch for such an antique, "But I'm not young, I'm way old but I remember clearly when I was young like you two… many moons ago… angry… energetic… and ready to make the next clutch with a young body and a young female mate. I remember watching two tribes try to kill each other over something illogical and stupid… I'm surprised I'm still alive despite that being so so long ago. But I see you two… despite your different backgrounds and tribes… will be some type happy together. I know my kind has been hunted with the incoming modern world. But be happy that you've met somebody almost as old as time to watch two young members of dying races to perpetuate the numbers. Maybe there is hope yet for even the fools such as yourselves. I like the thought of two old tribes uniting for more severe and common goal. I'm touched by your existence."

The relic of a bird stands up and spreads his huge wings/arms, revealing his hand-crafted cane and Indian tribal marked attire, revealing simply by the sheer size of the towering black bird that he is a Raven. He chants in an old language while his irises in his all black eyes start to glow the gold coloring that they dully were beforehand while a matching gold aura begins to reveal his outlines. The old Raven chants translate to, "To winds, I flow, to direction, I know, to unite, I go." Knuckles and Shade haven't been educated in the native language of the Raven's so they cannot comprehend what is going on and watch him while the subliminally hold each other's hands in subconscious comfort for each other. As soon as the Raven's chant ends, the wall behind him explodes due to earlier-placed explosives from an incoming group of criminals interested in stealing the emeralds no less. The change of pace takes Shade and Knuckles by surprise but the armed guards see the criminals through the dust via infrared sights and systematically eliminate the unskilled intruders with calm and undeterred composition and steady hands.

"Are you two alright!?" One of the guards asks Shade and Knuckles once they made sure that the invaders are confirmed as slain, "You two should leave before more of us show up immediately!"

Shade and Knuckles hurry off to another part of the Master De-Luxor. While what just happened begins to sink in, Shade begins realizing right before the explosion, the Raven vanished without a trace.

"So was that the group who wanted the kids and the emeralds?" Knuckles asks Shade while not taking her seriously enough, "Seems like it's over for them already."

"I wished it was that easy," Shade replies to Knuckles despite his lack of acknowledging the severity of the current situation, "That would've been us and the security dead if it was the people I tried to tell you about earlier." But in the back of Shade's mind, what that Raven said seems to profoundly impact her mindset of Knuckles despite speaking of eating her woman parts first if she dies…

"That Raven… thinks me and Knuckles will be together… is that even possible even though we don't like each other that much? What bothers me the most is we... held hands... could we actually be together?"


	24. Free Sample Of Chaos Power

Next morning, Shade, Amy, & Knuckles head down to the Wal-Mart to grab some more supplies for the babies Shadow & Rouge left in their care. Shade is still mentally bogged down over holding Knuckles' hand and what that old raven said last night. Even if Shade told him now just to get it over with, she knows Knuckles is an idiot for lack of a nicer term and telling him the feelings she is having would go through Knuckles' head like an open window. In one ear and out the other, Knuckles is near-completely incapable of understanding the opposite sex let alone an emotional based reasoning. Unknowingly to Shadow and Rouge's caretakers, Amy, Shade, & Knuckles, a curious little blackbird watches them with big innocent eyes. The six-year-old blackbird follows them to no end through the aisles and waits for the babies' vigilant babysitters to have their backs turned away. The avian swipes away little Maria while Amy, Shade, & Knuckles were debating what they should get for cereal.

"You must be Maria…" The blackbird begins to tell the seized infant in a close by clothing rack, the baby doesn't understand what is happening or where she is, "I have seen you before, but never have I met you in person. Grandfather tells me you are going to be placed in grave danger and might die. But I want to know you before this chance pass me by. I want to interact with you instead of being another frame in my visions."

The blackbird undoes her necklace which contains a black shard of an eighth Chaos Emerald and prepares for Maria to be exposed to its power, "There was an eighth emerald, Maria. But we ravens destroyed it and any evidence of its existence long ago; the shards were distributed to ravens all over the world so no one member of our race had complete access to it. I know what the power will do to you Maria, but I want to see this for me before it is too late for you. Now hold still, this might hurt."

The shining shard instantaneously grabs Maria's attention of her newborn mind and swipes the necklace as her thievery heritage suggests, which begins to make Maria glow of Chaos energy and begins to transform Maria from a 4-month-old baby into a seven-year-old child. The transformation hurts Maria slightly before completion due to the accelerated growth of her body. Maria gets off of the floor and touches her new self; she senses her breasts are beginning to develop into her mother's huge pair which will take Maria about nine more years from her current seven-year-old state to grow into that enormous cup size like her mother. Maria's backside already fills up her considerably small diaper and jean shorts. Even at the hastened age of seven, the transformation leaves Maria speechless of what happened to her body.

"You really do look a lot alike to your mother Maria," The six-year-old raven compliments Maria's grown transformation, "even at age seven; your mother's heritage is evident. You'll be a lot more powerful if you got ahold of a complete emerald."

"My body, my hair, my wings… I can do so many things now!" Maria says to herself aloud while falling in love with her new body. "I can talk too!"

"Now Maria, stay under here so Amy, Shade, Knuckles, my grandfather, or whoever else doesn't figure this out." The young raven advises but the age-progressed hedge-bat has an alternative forming inside her developing brain, something reckless, childish, unsafe, and fun for a child of a jewel thief.

"Being safe is no fun! Let's play!" Maria says before grabbing the six-year-old raven by the arm and goes for a quick run at high speed.


	25. The Real Benjamin (Toy Soldiers)

Hawthorne High-Level Detention Facility

Near Hawthorne, NV

"Benjamin Shepherd?" A G.U.N. agent walks into the enlarged cell and asks a dog-like figure who sits motionlessly in his wheelchair in front of a window as if he is deceased. "I am agent Gust. I need to ask you some questions."

"Drop the act Hollow Wind; I know you're an S.P.E.C. agent without looking at you." The canine belittlingly responds to the agent before turning away from the window and to the agent, revealing the extent of the doglike being's damage that has occurred over his lengthy lifespan. The dog's multitudes of permanent damage to his body include a highly damaged left leg and left arm, most of his body is populated with scarring from violent and explosive accidents that he has suffered through, his left eye is completely gone and replaced with a clear glass marble, there is minor chemical burns and veins that bulge out from under his facial skin, most of his formerly black and gold fur has since turned silver and gray from age. "And shut up," The bothered old pedigree growls at the agent, "I know why you are here. Is he just too much for you?"

"We've managed to stop your claimed 'indestructible toys' Benjamin, it is over." Agent Gust answers to Benjamin, only for Benjamin to chuckle at the thought, "Now tell us all you know about 83N, L01D, and Project Infallible."

"Ben… Lloyd… none more than sentient toys, built to destroy Shadow and his potential mates and offspring." Benjamin speaks up and smirks at how long Ben, his creation, has continued the hunt, "The wonders of created memory and bionic computing placed in an indestructible casing. Only simulated gore comes from the bodies. L01D had cancer in its organic composition of its bio-computer which decay continued and led to the death of itself, its loss is nothing. I wonder how 83N will respond once it figures out that it is NOT a life form but only a mere creation of programming genius and ageless engineering. Let's see that proclaimed 'Ultimate Life Form' beat a machine that THINKS it is an organic being itself but is really just another self-conscious, life sized, action figure."

"But why did you devise these creations?" Agent Gust asks more questions all the while he takes notes on paper and records this whole meeting via hidden camera, "Your personal vendettas? Fulfilling revenge? What is your motivation Benjamin?"

"To prove a point Gust, does that make enough sense for you?" Benjamin begins his answer before taking a deep breath in order to continue on, "I hated that goddamned Gerald and his entire clan! His creations and his clan are incapable of any good and Gerald's piss poor decisions continue to only destroy. Eliminating Shadow and that fucking space taking ARK would only be beneficial of us all. But it isn't any of that that has made me done what I did. No sir, not at all. I did it because I wanted to prove that what had transpired on ARK, along with the existence of that fucking eyesore that floats above us, was not only completely unnecessary but also counter-productive and an act of treason to waste resources of that magnitude. The only one who recognized that was my son, and yes he's alive and well, and he hates me deeply and is very embarrassed to have me as his father. But my designs are still used today. My son owns a huge robotics corporation that is almost the monopoly of the entire industry in the eastern hemisphere. And you know the 5A77Y robots? Those very machines are based on my own 83N and L10D. He may hate me very much, but I am absolutely proud of my son. My boy is the only corporation that easily rivals data-Dyne; wrap your head around THAT one Gust! I would only feel very complete to erase Gerald's existence and end it off with one thing… and that is Egg-man's public elimination. After my inevitable success, I would like to return to my home in the mountains somewhere in the eastern hemisphere, where I will die of old age in the fresh air… far away from ALL YOU FUCKERS as I can possibly be."

"You sound like Gerald before the firing squad." Agent Gust continues to write notes and record this session, "Doesn't that comparison bother you?"

"You wouldn't know you spoiled rich kid!" Benjamin responds just as bitterly as he always was throughout this visit and speaks coarsely as he runs out of breath, "That big fat fuck wanted to play doctor but wouldn't ever carry his end of the stretcher. What an unreliable fat log of shit!"

"Well… I see that you have successfully answered my questions," Gust replies to Benjamin's verbal onslaught bravely whilst maintaining his composure, thank you Benjamin, I hope you have a nice…"

Agent Gust gets cut off short by his own cellphone ringing from a call by the hospital on Prison Island; Gust didn't expect a call from there until a little later, signifying that something is amiss. Agent Gust answers the phone with a traditional "Hello?" only to be informed of an occurrence on Prison Island.

"I'll be there right away." Gust says before hanging up the phone, Benjamin knows damn well what had just happened there.

"Sounds like you're busy Richie Rich," Benjamin snickers at Agent Gust while he exits the door before throwing a tennis ball, "Hey Gust, fetch!"

Gust catches the ball and tosses it back to Benjamin, revealing the lacerations on Benjamin's aged hands.

"The hunt continues... Let's see you try to find an off switch that doesn't exist," Ben speaks at the exiting agent, "he's made much better than anything you have, and with my spirit to boot!"


	26. Parents With 250 Children

Three months ago…

"Shit… I can't believe what I'm seeing right now…" Rouge's mother looks at her positive pregnancy test with disbelief before transferring her eyes to her abdomen, where inside her 43-year-old uterus a new child is developing within. "I thought I was too old for me to still be able to even become pregnant with a child. Well, I better get the baby stuff out and dust them off. I wonder how my husband's going to take this once he figures out I'm going to eventually give birth to a new addition to the family."

"Despite the many children you birthed, I wanted this one to actually be raised by us." Rouge's father says with full acknowledgement of what his wife said via eavesdropping on her, "I know I got you pregnant, I never wore protection."

Present day…

"Well, Mrs. Bat, you're baby girl is growing healthily within you." The doctor compliments before questioning Rouge's mother's big stomach that contains the near ready to be born baby, "But I must ask, how does your child develop in only three months or less than the traditional nine? I looked up your medical records and no abnormalities show up."

"I don't understand that myself, I thought it was normal and I have never checked that out by a professional." Rouge's mother replies with a lie that she knows for a fact why her pregnancies are much shorter and how her babies go from conception to full grown in no time at all. "I guess I was meant to pump out babies fast."

"No matter the case, the baby is doing well and will be a healthy birth." The doctor responds while putting his medical supplies away, "But do you best to keep yourself away from any type of work. At this rate you'll begin to go into labor at any time today."

"Thank you for your time, my husband's waiting for me." Rouge's mother grabs her expensive purse which displays only a piece of her ill-gained wealth and leaves for the waiting room where her husband awaits. Happy to see his wife returning, he sweeps her up like a real romanticist and carries her out to the car, her companion drives easily back to their place for his wife who is about to pop. As they watch the sun set together in the highest room that overlooks their ever-expanding empire; the two long time life partners lean against each other, showing the true colors of their bond by simply being with each other.

"It seems that not long ago, we stole to simply barely make it through life. But now it is as if we own what we see and can do as we wish." Rouge's mother tightens her closeness to her mate as they share this intimate moment together, "This world might as well be ours for that matter."

"It already is… it already is all ours." Rouge's father chimes in precisely while the inevitable waits around the corner, "Ready for 250?"

"I don't know about me…" Rouge's mother gasps out while her stomach spontaneously increases in size, illustrating that she's ripe for delivering her daughter, "…but 250's ready… I do hope you know what you need to do."

"Here we go again, and to think we have done this so many times before." Rouge's father hoists up his wife and takes off to their readily awaiting helicopter where they takeoff from the roof top and head to the hospital , with the door to their room shutting by itself, the room once filled with passion now lies dormant. On one desk, a picture can be found, a family picture of married bat couple with all of their 249 children accounted for and sharply vary in ages and mostly punkish in appearance. But if one stares carefully at the photo, a newborn Rouge can be spotted in her mother's arms, only days old and definitely not the age to remember any of her siblings when they united for this photo a long time ago.


	27. EERC & 5HAD1A With Mr Shepherd

European Empire Robotics Corporation

Location N/A

Time: N/A

"Someone would like to see you Mr. Shepherd."

"Who would this happen to be?" Mr. Shepherd responds to his accountant's intercom message while he admires his own portrait of himself as he awaits news of progress of his latest creation. He enjoys how the artist of the painting got his gold and black fur coat spot on and 100% accurate.

"A… Fredrick Hans Bismarck." Mr. Shepherd's accountant answers while keyboard typing is audible in the background noise.

"Send him in." Mr. Shepherd responds coolly while he spins around to see Bismarck entering his office and quite comfortable in his new set of prosthetic limbs, which seems to be a much more ageless replacement than his ironclad, nuclear/steam antique that an upgraded E-123 Omega destroyed beforehand.

"Ah Bismarck… are you satisfied with my work?" Mr. Shepherd asks while he casually sips a lukewarm cup of solid black coffee.

"I am very pleased that you still do quality work," Bismarck positively comments while he continues with, "My family has been using your armors and parts even before the time of knights in armor. I absolutely appreciate your upholding of your reputation. Only if other businesses did just that and also never forget quality."

"Very true Bismarck; my products must be the best. Be it as old as the time of the ancients or as modern as this second, my entire family line has a reputation that is as old as time that we cannot tarnish or discard. It's been wondrous to have your family line be a long time buyer of our products." Mr. Shepherd pauses to drink more of his coffee before proceeding with his talking, "So, I see you want a specially ornamented outfit for this year's Remembrance Day? You usually wore your original armored prosthetics but since it was destroyed, I'll fulfill your request for free due to the filed contract because of the achievability of destroying something my father constructed during wartime which had proved indestructible at the time. Even during war my family's reputable business cannot afford to cut even one single corner. Go to floor 10's Special Order Section and my employees will fit you up properly for Remembrance Day."

"Thank you Mr. Shepherd, you are greatness at what you do." Bismarck says before exiting the office and leaving Mr. Shepherd to himself.

"Yes. I know." Mr. Shepherd idly speaks to the departing Bismarck before finishing his cup of coffee. The phone rings on Mr. Shepherd's desk; Mr. Shepherd exactly knows who it is on the other end of that phone before picking it up. His staff on the other end hears the headset leave the cradle and knows Ben picked up the phone.

"5HAD1A is nearing completion without fail Mr. Shepherd; a demonstration will be available within an hour. Okay. Bye." The staff member speaks fast so he doesn't waste their boss' time because he knows that their boss understands his sped up speech.

"That is exactly what I like to hear." Mr. Shepherd puts the phone back in its cradle before turning on his audio system via a remote on his desk and turn on playback of Mars from The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst, which is one of his favorite songs to play. Ben begins to drink another readily available cup of coffee that sat on his desk for a while and contemplates in his mind, "My dad's products are undeniably faulty by afar! I don't know how many of his worthless junk I had to repair or replace under warranty, he has only tarnished my great family's name and oxidized my business' reputation. I wonder how spectacularly Gerald's stuff will break. The proclaimed Ultimate Life-Form versus perfect and flawless design, build, and quality of one of MY greatest upcoming products! But I think I'll give it some showroom display time before I take it out for a little… test trial.


	28. Our Feature Presentation (5HAD1A's Demo)

"When it has come to combat robots, we have mostly relied upon the concept of simply adding more metal to it in order to make it more resistant to damage." Mr. Shepherd begins his presentation with this line before drinking a glass of water in order for him to continue, "But as we have transferred over to more stealth over time, is it about time our robots also have made the jump as well? Now what we have here is our heavy-fire model 8U7K and our much more general use model 5A77Y, which we are currently presenting the prototypes of these two models because we need fair competition of our latest prototype. Using an updated, overdriven version of our 5A77Y's bionic neural computer, we have already created a machine capable of adapting to new environments… which is our 5A77Y's primary capability. However, we haven't made one capable of forming into a new environment… until today. Allow me to introduce our latest development of robotic technology… behold!"

Much disappointment from the visitors is abounding as the only thing brought up on stage is a small metal case and a metal barrel containing a flat black, liquid metal material. The audience was expecting something more visually appealing like 5A77Y who is a mechanical replica of a forest creature with a synthesized, feminine voice. This machined creation features illuminated blue eyes, polished auburn 'hair' plate with equally polished blue breast and pelvis plates. The unit features sharpened steel claws with wrist attached plasma blade generators and also features jet thrusters for limited flight.

"Now if you know anything about a new creation; it isn't looks that get the job done but its capability… which is a subject that is the highlight of this presentation!" Ben opens the metal case and holds a very small metallic object no bigger than a sugar cube and holds it in his hand for the crowd to see who continue to scoff at the thought that this is the new product. "As you can see, this is a bionic neural computer, made by our own R&D Team for the new 5HAD1A. But where is the body? You cannot have a machine without a body as housing. But watch as I drop this little square wonder into this barrel."

Mr. Shepherd boldly drops the prototype bio-computer into the black metal liquid. The audience stares unanimously at the barrel which doesn't move at all, but slowly, a new entity forms out of the liquid and generates its default body with the substance provided. 5HAD1A's default body is a feminine silhouette of a height around 5' 3" but doesn't have a default color or skin to apply to the newly formed body so the color stays the material's default flat black color.

"Now do I have your attention?" Mr. Shepherd whimsically comments while the crowd watches the self-forming 5HAD1A look about the room and realize its default body shape. "Unlike previous designs of machines which were limited to chassis size, 5HAD1A makes that problem a thing of the past. With a self-form to fit capability, 5HAD1A can do this!"

Ben picks out more parts from the metal carry case and tosses the multi-billion dollar parts without care to 5HAD1A who absorbs the parts thrown at it into its body and places them near the computer within the semi-liquid body, illustrating its active organizational skills.

"Now remember those Wild West days where the fastest gunman won the duel?" Ben adds on while he drinks another glass of water, "We have been too reliant on that ideal, especially upon using mechanical arms that use bearings, rotors, spindles, axles, pivots, or whatever we can use to make our machines the fastest gunman. But with 5HAD1A and its secret liquid crystal material, physical movement such as what we required before is no longer needed or necessary for function. Watch as 5HAD1A beats 5A77Y and 8U7K in target practicing due to the absolute lack of moving parts. Are you ready 5HAD1A?"

Ben clicks a button on his remote and targets appear in front of 5A77Y and 8U7K but 5HAD1A wasn't even near to an angle or appropriate visual preparedness for the task. However, 5HAD1A still destroys her target far before 5A77Y or 8U7K could even begin to destroy theirs due to the self-integrating Prism Beam weapons that Ben had tossed into 5HAD1A's body earlier shooting out from her body at a random direction and hitting the target with 100% surgical accuracy. The crowd cannot believe, as Mr. Shepherd advertised, that limbs or physical guides of any kind are not necessary for 5HAD1A in order for destruction of the target.

"Now that little demonstration has you hooked, now let me show you its active camouflaging capability." Mr. Shepherd picks up a mail parcel and holds it in front of him to show the audience, "This is a parcel used in our current mailing system; most people are fooled by mail. Even the smartest of crooks fall for such an innocent package. 5HAD1A is designed to become the very environment it is subjected to, watch what happens when I had the package to 5HAD1A."

Mr. Shepherd hands the box over to 5HAD1A, who takes a moment to look over the box and then forms itself into the very box it is copying and sets itself next to the original parcel. The crowd is speechless over the achievement of what 5HAD1A is capable of.

"This is currently only a fraction of 5HAD1A's capability, but I am sure our current prototype has your interest. Thank you investors and potential investors for attending today's tech demonstration." Mr. Shepherd thanks while the spectators cheer in awe of the achievement, "Please have a good day and remember that your investment is safe with me and my industry!"

An our passes since the end of 5HAD1A's demo and Mr. Shepherd is already very busy with the press over his new creation, mainly over ethical issues that robots have created since their very creation. The 5HAD1A prototype, who is on display on the showroom floor, is still active and scanning the environment with vigilant sensors. But the visual sensors are tripped by a photo that one of the press members is holding of Shadow the Hedgehog. Utilizing Wi-Fi connectivity, 5HAD1A searches for more information in milliseconds and uses the information to self-generate new body shape, skin, and voice data which turns out to be a female version of Shadow since it 'likes' that result. With the newly formed data, 5HAD1A generates a new body shape and skin to match the data queues made earlier. Pleased with the new body, 5HAD1A sneaks out of its display and steals the remainder of its parts out of the metal case conveniently nearby as well as a .45 ACP handgun and escapes the building. Despite its ability to form clothing textures, it stays as a naked form in order to conserve energy and roams the countryside in the forest to stay out of sight. With absolute privacy and free from interference, 5HAD1A practices talking with 'her' newly acquired voice synthesizer and unit. 'She' fine tunes 'her' voice, body form, and sizing to 'her' liking until 'she' likes her body without question.


	29. DC & The White Box (Mission Critical)

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god." The man behind the wheel of his hot and stolen 1980's Non-Reflective Flat Black, FBI Issue Chevrolet Suburban speaking speedily like a cassette tape about to malfunction and tangle up its tape. The stolen FBI SUV is moving well over 150 MPH but the ecstatic driver doesn't know or even realize it because the speedometer maxes out at a mere 85 MPH. "There was many there was many out of nowhere the tried abducting me but I'm too fast for their slow thinking holy shit that was close driving… driving… driving… there we go speeding around the 70 MPH curve like in NASCAR hustling going vroom here we go we go to a place to save this package no place to go but I got to go go go go go go…" The freaked out wheelman continues on with his nonsensically sped-up chattering while weaving through traffic with the fine finesse of an epileptic seizure. With his on the rear-view more than the road ahead, the elated driver continues on with no acknowledgement of the endangering of himself or other motorists on the road.

"What I need is a nice drive to clear my mind before I pack up and leave this place for the old world." Dennison says casually while on his desert cruise in his near-complete 1973 Mustang Mach 1, going the speed limit at 70 MPH with the radio on and minding the rules of the road. "I wonder how that alien is holding up in that spaceship if there is one inside? It needs to come out and play sometime. Sometime… FUCK! What was that freak doing? Going that fast… he's going to kill someone! I better put a stop to that!"

With Dennison's cruise interrupted, Dennison spins that Mach 1 Mustang of his around professionally, punches the throttle of his Roush Racing engine, and opens up all his engine's horses so he can catch up to that Black Suburban. With the drastically upgraded Mach 1 catching up, the flipped out driver puts the Suburban's transmission into overdrive and activates the now inappropriately named cruise control to keep the engine at full throttle, forcing it and giving its all. The driver of the stolen FBI SUV pulls out his antiquated Nagant M1895 six-shooter and begins to shoot blindly at the pursuing Mustang, quickly wasting six rounds of rare ammunition while continuing his mindless and stupidly fast bantering, "A guy tries to take on me like A-ha he's got another thing coming to him when I nail him with my shooting but I missed goddamn I need to reload there ready to shoot again better make these count gotta save the package running but fighting car combating bang boom ping pow."

"Fuckers got some balls to shoot at me," Dennison says before retrieving his Thompson SMG M1928 complete with its iconic 100 round drum, full and ready to empty them on its user's target. "Let's see what he thinks of my blazing City Heat!"

With Dennison's appropriately named Thompson SMG, Dennison uses City Heat and gives the speeding FBI Suburban a Full Metal Jacket shower of .45 ACP which just riddles the Black SUV with holes until the 100 rounds hastily deplete from Dennison's City Heat. A few bullets strike the SUV's driver who doesn't give into the fact of being shot and continues vainly fleeing; his senseless chattering also is unscathed. "Oh my oh my oh my oh my under fire gotta do gotta do something thing here's a turn let's take it."

The shot up FBI Chevrolet SUV continues on with the wounded driver full of adrenaline also with the Ford Mach 1 hot on its tail with its retired NASCAR engine screaming with all horses going. The FBI Suburban takes a turn at a T-section near an RV Park that's surrounded with a tall concrete wall, kicking up gravel from cutting the corner through some gravel and causing the local RV Park users to see what's going on, the Mach 1 stays on the tarmac and cuts the narrow T-section almost too wide and risks losing control. But the Mach 1 stays in the fight and keeps the pressure on the running SUV. The quiet, windy roads become the new stage for the continuing chase. On one snake curve, the Suburban driver gets his reloaded Nagant revolver and manages to shoot Dennison in his inner shoulder.

"This is my favorite jacket… it went with the fucking car…" Dennison winces from the shot for a mere moment before rage sets in like wildfire and makes him forget that he was even shot and loses restraint and reaches for his Model 1912 Winchester Super X Police shotgun full of police buckshot, "THE JACKET WENT WITH THE FUCKING CAR YOU SON OF A BITCH! NOW I'M GOING TO MAKE YOUR HEAD FUCKING DISAPPEAR! YOU RUINED MY FAVORITE JACKET AND I GOT BLOOD ON MY NEW INTERIOR! EAT DOUBLE AUGHT!"

Upholding his word, the fired up Dennison forgets to aim and blasts one shell right next to the driver's head, shattering the windscreen of the Suburban and scaring the evading driver which almost makes him crash. Dennison grabs the fore grip of the shotgun, slams the butt of the shotgun on the door, and chambers a new shell readies himself to fire the next shotgun blast; Dennison blindly shoots low and hits the driver's legs with large, hard-hitting SWAT shotgun shot. The blast to the SUV driver's legs causes him to lose control and run into some debris that sends him and the Suburban launching into an abandoned doublewide house, shearing a wall and a quarter of the roof , and slamming back down to earth hard, demolishing the front axle and suspension. The still enraged Dennison slams the parking brake and spins the car around, coming in hot at the wreckage of the FBI SUV. The driver opens his door and falls out of his wrecked vehicle with Nagant M1895 in hand but cannot muster the strength to shoot or even lift it up. However, unlike himself or his SUV, the Suburban driver's mouth keeps running, "Vroom crash boom there I went falling out and here I am today and here comes this guy I tried to defend myself... from…"

"Shut up." A very heated Dennison says while holding his Winchester M1912 with bayonet extended and the tip touching the driver's nose and the 12 gauge barrel right in-between his shifting eyes. "What is your business here? Why are you in my current domain and going over twice the speed limit? Why did you try to shoot me? Why did you do any of this?"

Inside the SUV driver's skull, his brain finally locks up which causes him to throw a brief but outrageous fit before finally fainting from exhaustion. Dennison would've blown the guy's head off by now but a blank white box sits in the passenger seat strapped in. Dennison walks over, unfastens the box from the seat, and takes to the back seat of his car. Dennison looks over at the stolen FBI Suburban driver before going over to him and dragging the SUV driver to the trunk of his car where Dennison handcuffs the driver, shuts, and locks the driver in the trunk. Dennison, being ultra-genre savvy, took the Nagant M1895 revolver and sets it by his other guns that rest on the passenger floor board. Dennison looked for anything of value but the only thing found was a couple spent Nagant revolver casings. Knowing that Dennison's running out of time before the feds show; Dennison runs to his car and drives away from the scene. Dennison looks in the back seat and ponders about the driver's white box and possible reasons why he was fleeing and driving erratically.

"What the fuck!? Is any of you even halfway competent!?" Agent Gust scolds the few surviving FBI Agents left from a situation turned bust.

"But the man was unexpectedly armed," One FBI Agent bravely answers up to Gust, "we were about to inspect him but he flipped out and shot most of us point blank..."

"With what? A fucking antique revolver that uses black powder?" Agent Gust is enraged with the poor performance of the agents, "He mustn't be hard to find. Who uses black powder besides him. How did he even get you off guard let alone with such poor weaponry? You know, all of you pissed me off for your failure. We needed that box, it's contents are mission critical! Understand!?"


	30. DC, Reggie, & The Photo Of History

"Well, I better get tuned up then. I got to get my Cokes and cigarettes from the store before I leave." Dennison monologues while he presses 'up' on the lift and hoists himself out of his own underground facility. In the darkened slot in-between the railroad engine that's been converted to a generator and the relic MiG-25 interceptor, the UFO on the back of the slide-bed truck that picked it up months before now opens up and its passenger exits in her all natural nudity with a necklace around her neck that is adorned with a blue jewel that faintly glows with a blue hue. The extra-terrestrial space traveler lifts her necklace, which features a very lengthy chain that can go as low as her navel, looks through the glowing prism, and uploads her whole spacecraft into her jewel on her necklace.

Upon completion of storing her spacecraft into her only personal belonging from home, the Nano-Crystal, she looks about the large underground facility. Walking toward a desk with a photo of Dennison in his G.U.N. uniform and a younger woman together, Rain unsuspectingly trips a sensor that turns on the lights around the desk and starts a nearby record player which begins playing "Tonight She Comes" by the New Wave group known as The Cars. The 1985 Top 40 hit startles Rain as she has never known what a record player is let alone the source of the music but continues onward to look at the photo of Dennison. Glancing over the photo and looks at the woman in the picture, instinct tells Rain that the man is the one who took the spaceship along with her here and transforming into the woman in the picture will ensure best chances of survival with initial contact with Dennison due to the fact that Dennison knows the woman in the picture and will be the most acceptable form to Dennison. But a note under the picture catches Rain curiosity, 'Me & Reggie' it quotes. It should be also mentioned that the woman has pale skin and Midnight Blue eyes and hair. Rain understands the woman's appearance according to the picture and transforms herself into the woman in the photo.

After Rain's physical transformation, she walks over to the spinning Long Play Vinyl Record on the turntable which is playing the next track 'My Best Friend's Girl'. The Nano-Crystal self-scans the record and teaches Rain how to properly use it. Following the instructions, Rain pinches the turntable's needle and places it at the beginning of the song "I'm Not the One". The song starts out slow but the music is very entrancing and somehow makes Rain start dancing with the music, Rain has never experienced 1980's earth music before but quickly begins to enjoy the new experience. The broken up 5A77Y starts to beep and flash its illuminating eyes along with the music in hopes of getting Rain's attention but Rain keeps her eyes closed and visualizes vivid memories of her life and is too incapacitated by the song to be snapped out of its nostalgic spell.

Once the song ends, the needle lifts up and returns itself to the area where it goes when it's not in use and the record stops spinning. Rain looks around the spacious place, disappointed that the song is over and it record is done playing. But 5A77Y still beeps and blinks along to the song that is no longer audible and catches Rain's attention like a faint beacon for help. Rain picks up the damaged robot and sets it on a workbench and finds two exposed and frayed electrical wires. Using the Nano-Crystal to find out how to turn it on, Rain takes the red and black wires and plugs them into a car battery charger. The power only restores power to 5A77Y's camera units, voice synth, and audio receivers. 5A77Y's consciousness obviously wasn't damaged due to being semi-organic, therefore bionic.

"You are not a being of this planet." 5A77Y begins speaking, "What is your business on this world?"

Rain doesn't have a clue of the text or languages of this world in fact, Rain didn't even have a clue of what that note said next to the photo of Dennison and that woman despite looking at it for a minute. Rain asks in her native language what 5A77Y said but both of them don't know a thing about each other's languages and both are lost in translation.

Dennison watches his ideas of the world around him get discarded while he witnesses who looks to be his female friend Reggie naked in his underground compound as he comes down to the floor on his heavy lift with the unconscious FBI SUV driver and the white box beside him. Dennison walks over to the woman slowly and quietly while she and 5A77Y talk in unusual languages until silence falls when Dennison places his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Reggie? You're..." Dennison says confusingly as everything where it is now has no sense to it and any logic is currently void and invalid.


	31. Paul & The Mafia(Paul Calls Reggie &Amy)

Ah, driving away from this crazy place feels liberating. No more people bothering me, no more John Law, the only thing is… the B-Mafia. But I hope they haven't figured out my leaving yet even though they are almost worldwide. But good luck finding me, because I'm leaving this country with amounts of dirt on almost everybody and extort anyone to meet my needs. I wonder how this country's doing besides going down a downward spiral. Only way to find out is tune into a talk radio or news station.

"97.7 DLIDO presents breaking news! An occupant of the Prison Island has just escaped the high security facility and is currently on the run. The G.U.N. Commander survived despite being near the escapee, who let him walk despite having the ideal opportunity to end his life. Here are the president's words on the events that transpired."

Oh great, here comes that charismatic asshole who is the exact embodiment of the reason why I'm leaving this place. Hope he dies in a fire.

"Greetings my citizens…"

Not any longer I'm not you prick; you can eat your own dick.

"…it has come to my attention that we have a high priority target on our hands. G.U.N. is diligently working hard on the case and intends to arrest the escaped. Please stay calm and if you see anyone suspicious, call 911."

Wow… you're so profound… I hope you die even slower you overpaid, zealous fuck. I better turn this shit off before I flip. Nevada/Utah state line here we come in a few miles! Oh great, it's the B-Mafia farewell party! Let's see if they can keep up. Come on now, I'm not even doing 150! Hah! They need better cars if they want to catch me! Whew, they need to do everything better if they want me. What, you don't know about them? You must've lived under a rock to not know about them, but it is a rock worth living under…

I remember doing a few things with the B-Mafia, my dad got me involved. I was involved with the B-Mafia's biggest heist, Fort Knox. However, I did something a little different that made them a little animated. Instead of giving them their cut, I took it all! Why you ask? Because I went from having nothing to having a whole lot! That's why! And now they are spending just as much as what I stole simply to take me out! I wonder if the B's 249 are even close to figuring me out. I doubt it, if they are anything that their French roots suggest, they can't even tie their own shoes. And if you want me to tell you where I stashed the cash you can fucking forget it! But I'll tell you one thing; this dirt I got from my dad's estate is going to be put there. Away from everyone but myself because I need that shit. In fact, I think I'll try out a few numbers once I find a truck stop to dip into… here's one already. Travel Center here we are! Now let's pick a random number! How about trying out… Reggie. Oh this is going to awesome!

"Hello? How did you get this number?"

"Don't know and I don't give a shit, say… aren't you Reggie?"

"Yes why? You sound like Paul."

"Oh you smart little bitch. Do you lick yourself nightly?"

"What? I…"

"Are you a lesbian? Are you incest in your lesbian activities or do you like strangers? Do you masturbate with help or can you do it by yourself?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME BOY!?"

"Aw… cram that frozen dildo in your gash and chill out woman, or is that a sexual turn on for you and you get extremely worn out from doing that?"

"RAH! YOU'RE REALLY MAKING ME MAD PAUL! DON'T MAKE ME…"

"Make you what? Go outside? Aren't you on your period or something that prevents you going outside or you'll explode or something?"

"NO! I AM NOT! I MAY BE IN A HORRIBLE MOOD BUT I WILL GO OUTSIDE JUST TO KICK YOUR ASS LIKE YOUR DADDY SHOULD'VE!"

"Aw… go cry over your daughter who's probably getting molested by strangers while you bawl in your safety corner you old hag. Don't get a wrinkle."

"GAH THAT'S IT PAUL, I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW YOU INSIGNIFICANT PIECE OF SHIT! I WILL GO OUTSIDE AND TAN YOU PROPERLY! THAT'S A GUARANTEE!"

"Good luck with that, hope your daughter isn't a tramp by now. Bye Reggie. Love you."

That was fun, let's try another… how about a… Amy Rose. Let's dial up pinky.

"Hello, this is Amy Rose. May I ask who this is?"

"Yes this is a friend who knows everything about you. How's Sonic?"

"He's… not here at the moment…"

"Like he'll ever be Pinkie, even if he wasn't busy being Egg's bitch he wouldn't want anything to do with you since you stalk him voraciously."

"I beg to differ… Sonic loves me unlike you!"

"I'm not a homo; even if I was one he isn't tall enough to ride this ride! Do you like fondling yourself or do you need assistance?"

"I'm fine with myself…"

"And…"

"That's all."

"How's babysitting? Is it true that Miles has two penises? Does he have four balls?"

"Well he…"

"He does have double dicks!? Aw man this is gold! You're a stalker who knows about Miles' two penises!"

"No he doesn't have two, he has one because I accidentally walked in on him while he was in the bathroom."

"You looked out of curiosity!? What is wrong with you!? You're stalking Tails too!? There's nothing stopping you!"

"TAILS HAS TWO PENISES AND I AM NOT A STALKER! Please be nice mister!"

"It's true, he does have double shafts! I'm writing that one down!"

"No! Tails has one dick! He only has two tails. That is all."

"Too late now, you spilt it. Good day."

"Get back here you!"

Aw man this fun! I should do this more off… oh shit! It's the B-Mafia again! Better split! Have a good day bros and stay fresh and tight bitches! Keep it wrapped up!


	32. Mars Mercury : Satan Of The Earth

Out in the Nevadan desert, a black 1970 4-door Plymouth Sport Fury screams down the road over 200 MPH, blaring Huey Lewis and the News' classic song 'I Know What I Like' and taking the two lane highway by storm before turning off onto a dirt and gravel road that leads to the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada. The classic 80's music stops playing as the black-washed Sport Fury rolls up to the abandoned community where four S.P.E.C. agents clad in black wait in front of the ruins of the iconic Cook Bank, a building that is the landmark of the ghost town Rhyolite. The Sport Fury rolls to a stop near the S.P.E.C. agents and their also all black 1972 Dodge Monaco waiting for the driver of the Fury to step out of his car. The Fury's engine shuts off before the driver opens his door and prepares to step out of the car. The driver of the 70' Sport Fury is wearing all-black, mostly leather attire, complete with drench coat, motorcycle boots, riding gloves, heat shielding Akubra hat, cloth/Kevlar face covering, and lighted flight-styled goggles. The S.P.E.C. agents are impressed with the man's choice of wear and begin business.

"So you must be Agent 00," one of the agents says in captivation of the covered man's stylish entrance, "You are most certainly a man of enigma as well as charisma."

"That I am," The man in the black drench coat says while posing as someone he is clearly not, "Now for the order of business…"

"Yes… here's the package you requested." One of the agents hand over a case to the man posing as Agent 00 but another agent catches on that this man isn't Agent 00.

"He isn't Agent 00, murder him!" Another S.P.E.C. Agent orders but his order comes too late as the man under the Akubra hat and the drench coat annihilates them with a wrist concealed cutting beam that fillets them more efficiently than any gun could. Only one agent remains who is holding the package, the man under the hat walks up to the petrified agent and relays him this message, "Agent 00 failed his duty, now give me the case before you end up like the others."

The S.P.E.C. Agent shakily hands the package to the man under the dark clothing who exits as fast as he entered the ghost town, sparing the sole survivor who is too petrified to pull his pistol out at him.

Up on a plateau, a man in black clothing himself watches the entire incident transpire through his binoculars next to his Dan Gurney Special Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. "Perfect" he quotes while the black 4-door Sport Fury drives up to meet him in his remote location.

"There, fulfilled your deal." The man in drench coat says with displeasure of what had occurred. "Take this tainted thing before I hold it any longer."

"You have done your work Mark." The owner of the Mercury replies while casually taking the case from the man in the Sport Fury before coolly reentering his Cyclone Spoiler II, "You are free to go. Remember, this never happened. But no power can conceal me, for I am Satan of the tangible world. Call me by this name if you ever want me… Mars Mercury: Satan of the Earth. You have given me your life; you have made a deal with me, now go forth and make those you see fit bleed the bloodiest form possible. Everything but your soul is free from me. Without your soul, you cannot die. If you ever want to die, call my name at the top of your lungs and I will be right by your side, and set you on your way to the skies above."

The man enters his Mercury and makes his car roar the unholiest roar ever made by an internal combustion engine and takes off with the tarmac aflame behind him and disappearing from sight. Knowing damn well Mars' words, the man in the dark clothing makes his leave in his Sport Fury, for destinations unknown.

"It appears we are too late," Agent 00 says while he looks about Rhyolite until he sees the last survivor left who he holds his hand above his head as a sign of surrender.

"Agent 00, I cannot believe it's really you! A man in a black car like ours showed up and killed all but me and has taken the package. He was like you but very different." The S.P.E.C. Agent says while he enters his car and leaves hastily. "he told me to tell you this, Agent 00 failed his duty."

"I understand, go now!" Agent 00 commands while he concludes before running off to share the news, "I must report this to Golden-Eye. Maybe a new player is willing to place his bets against us."


	33. To Hell And Back (Heat of the Moment)

"You must be very comfortable living here Alan. I honestly don't know what your problem is with everything." Mars Mercury asks Alan on his visit from raising his share of hell.

"I don't understand why you're not driving a Chevy or a Harley-Davidson; it's surprising that you'd pick Mercury over any vehicle available to you." Alan replies with a question to Mars while eating some expensive jerky, "Honestly, for a man who I had taken Nina's soul out of my plea as a young lad and the only cost to save her life why would you pick Mercury."

"Because Mercury committed a crime against NASCAR, they were supposed to build 500 of these cars in 1969." Mars begins telling Alan the story of his Cyclone Spoiler II, "There's only 351 made and Mercury lied about the other 149 existence, not to mention this IS car #351 and I was at the place when they were making this final car and an engine fell off the gurney crane due to a faulty chain and crushed the poor bastard who was working on the front brakes alive. I instantly wanted this car afterwards and Mercury gave me any options I saw fit for this particular car as an apology for witnessing that accident. I saved the guy's life at the cost of his soul too. Most can still hear him scream in crushing agony when I open the hood or start the car, the oil when it needs to be changed is also red for some reason. Boy do the brakes work better than a supercars', is it unholy for a Mercury car to be made that way?"

"That's quite an accident," Alan responds amused yet not surprised about Mars' reason behind that car, "It's a crime, sin, and tragedy all in one high performance racing car; perfect for a guy who's faster than hell such as yourself."

"It goes without saying I own a Ferrari because they were largely funded by Marlboro." Mars continues talking about himself, "I have such a sinful collection. Want to get drunk while listening to Asia in this bad boy?"

"Only if Nina will come along, she might not want to since you are the… you-know-who-that-has-something-of-hers."

"Hey Alan I was wondering…" Nina starts to ask when she notices Mars Mercury is in the room, Nina begins to feel faint in his presence and starts to fall over but Alan catches his wilting flower.

"I'll take that as a yes, I'll be in my car playing 'Heat of the Moment'. Mercury will be waiting for you.


	34. Shade & An Old Man With A Colt Revolver

"Little Morwenna! Morwenna! Now where did that little grand-daughter of mine go?" An old raven walks about the store with cane in hand and in his usual tribal print clothes, pushing a shopping cart with a bottle of spirits, a carton of tobacco cigarettes, big box of beer, daily vitamin pills, and large amounts of fresh meat. Unknown to the little raven's grandfather, she had just exposed Maria to a shard from a broken Chaos Emerald and is going unwillingly with Maria's dangerous take on playtime. Running recklessly through the store, Maria causes trouble without a care in her new seven-year-old form with her reluctant cohort along for the ride. Maria with the old raven's grand-daughter runs at a fast pace by the old bird who is concerned for his grandchild. Even though Maria and his relative looked like a mere blur in his vision, the old black avian knows very well what is happening.

"I knew it. She wanted to meet that child." The old raven says while checking if the cold meat will ruin his dry cigarettes. "Even if I did object, she will have still done that anyway. The unrivaled power that is one's own free will."

Meanwhile over a few aisles from the old bird; Amy, Knuckles, and Shade figured out that Maria's gone missing and look around thoroughly for the missing child all the while getting what they need. Maria goes up to her babysitter and does blazing circles around her caretakers.

"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" Maria calls out to them with her new voice before running off again, "C'mon Amy, let's play! Let's play!"

After hearing that voice, Amy increasingly worries of what happened to Maria. Especially if that was her now and she's running loose in a huge department store without anybody to watch her. Amy, Shade, & Knuckles begin searching for the missing child unaware of her age progression.

Maria speeds about the store, giving customers a hard time, slowing employees down, and just making mischief. The overclocked Maria runs toward the old, dusty black bird who whips out his cane and barstools the little kid with no care about potential child injury. Maria skips across the floor like a smooth stone over water and stop with the emerald shard necklace on the floor in front of her; Morwenna dusts herself off and grabs the necklace before running back to her grandfather's side.

The effects of the black Chaos Emerald shard has progressed Maria's age from 4 months to about 6 or 7 years old then right before she lost possession of the shard was at age 10. But with the shard out of her grasp, Maria begins reverting back to her 4 months of age. Once the age regression completes, baby Maria regains consciousness and stars crying out which Amy, Shade, and Knuckles notice and hurry over to the lost baby. As Amy picks up Maria and tries to get her to stop crying, Shade and Knuckles notice the old raven that was at the casino talking about them with complete disregard of rudeness is not far from them and is watching them from what the old bird considers is complete parental failure.

"You!," Shade calls out at the antiquated avian with aroused suspicion that he kidnapped Maria but the rustic fowl does not care about the child or what happens to it.

"Bitch," The old flyer responds just as coarsely as Shade while he puts his right hand down and shields his child from what could become a violent confrontation with what the aged bird considers are 'modernized animals'.

"Did you have anything to do with this bird?" Shade asks at the old raven without any kindness considered. Only suspicion is what Shade has in mind for the raven.

"No." The older bird answers at Shade while he grips the cart a little more tightly in minor anguish at Shade's preposterous blaming. "Do you want me to naïve one?"

"I am not naïve crow, and I know how to fight." Shade takes the raven's response in the utmost inappropriate manner possible.

"You may know how to fight with hands," The raven puts his hand in his Indian tribal patterned jacket, "But unlike you, I know one thing you don't naïve one."

"What will that be crow?" Shade asks sarcastically, unaware of what the angered avian is going to answer with.

"Know Colt!" The upset elderly raven reactions with a near mint Colt New Service revolver and points the sights right in between Shade's eyes. Despite being held in the pre-cocked Colt's line for fire, Shade does not step down at all and stands her ground with solid feet and audacious bravery.

"Grandpa c'mon, we go home. Please, I'm sorry grandpa. I'm sorry. I'll never do again. It was my entire fault! Please no kill!" Morwenna figures out what is happening around her and starts crying and pleas her grandpa not to shoot at Shade or her friends.

"Shade the Echidna! Stop this outrageousness right now! We don't need this stupidity!" Amy Rose furiously roars at Shade while blocking Maria's ears to prevent waking her back up from her sleeping. "What the fuck is wrong with you and Knuckles!? Got a point to prove!? Let's leave now stupid before I blow your head off before he does!"

"Only because my granddaughter likes you I will not kill you…" The dated raven says while strongly resisting the temptation of ending another echidna's life but does come up with an alternative. "However… I will embarrass you like you did me now."

"Please don't Mister Raven," Amy Rose apologizes to the best of her ability while she and Knuckles hold Shade back, "We just lost our Maria is all. We didn't mean to upset you."

"The only way you can apologize to me is if just you and that female hatchling of yours visit me at glass house in Rhyolite." The old raven offers Amy a redeeming chance of forgiveness for Shade's inappropriate transgressions toward him before taking off. "That is only way I accept apology. Bid you good day."

Amy watches the old bird and his granddaughter leave before venting out at Shade…

"Wait until we go out to the car bitch! I'll teach you to make us look bad in front of that old man's granddaughter!" Amy colorfully lays down the law with Shade in public while the only thing that Knuckles can do is just let Amy empty out her animosity, "She begged him to not shoot and saved your life! You owe her a thank you which I will give when I show up to his place and offer him a proper apology as well. You have no reason to act at him that way! You should feel like shit! Fuck you! Now let's check out so I can teach you how to behave yourself properly in public Miss Shade!"


	35. Distressful

"Alright Shade, you like to place stuff in danger right?" Amy speaks to Shade with a hint of hostility in her tone of voice while placing groceries in the car, "I think I should give you an exercise on how that is a bad idea. Maybe something like…"

"Like what?" Shade asks Amy while hiding her concern over Amy's currently unpredictable demeanor. Amy's quite explosive when she upset and Shade knows this as a fact.

"Like this Shade!" Amy pulls one of Shadow's handguns that he left in the car on accident and directs it at Jarrell's little head while Jarrell is completely oblivious that his infant life is in danger. "You like it when Jarrell's in danger!? Do you!?"

"No Amy. I do not like that at all. Please Amy, take a deep breath and put the gun down." Shade calmly confronts an emotionally unbalanced Amy who is presently holding Shadow's baby boy at gunpoint.

"YOU take a deep breath bitch! YOU placed us in danger! And WE almost paid the price of YOUR stupidity!" Amy ignores Shade's composed suggestion altogether and only fires her up even more, "YOU want Maria in this to!?"

"No Amy, please don't do that. Chill out… put Jarrell down… and relax. I made a mistake Amy, I admit it." Shade does her best to friendlily persuade Amy to stop her over the top actions. "Now just set the boy down gently."

"NO!" Amy reluctantly keeps the pressure on the situation which is getting unnecessarily out of hand, "You didn't say the words that you need to say!"

"Amy Rose, I'm sorry for the incident in the store. I know it was unnecessary." Shade maintains a level head and an unthreatening voice in her apology to Amy, "Now please, Amy Rose, drop the…"

"Drop the fucking gun!" A dark-clothed guy in a black 1973 Mustang Mach 1 with gold stripes and decals shouts in alarm, hastily steps out of his car, and quickly zeros in his M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle right at the back of Amy's head from a few meters distance. The outside man is ready to turn the pink hedgehog into an obituary article with a pull of the antique trigger. "Drop it now bitch!"

"Now hold on a…" Amy begins to speak and turn around to the armed man only for him to fire a shot that hits Amy's pistol right on the side of the slide with a round of .30-06, making the pistol beyond use and the punch of the bullet hitting the pistol injures Amy's feminine hand and drops it. The loud rifle report makes everyone hit the pavement and Maria and Jarrell begin crying in fear with realization of what is going on around them.

"I'm not fucking kidding!" The rifleman warns before issuing a command to Amy, "Now those babies… hand them here. I know they cannot be yours. They look nothing like you monsters at all."

"Now wait just a…" Shade starts to reason with the gunman only for him to violently shout out "Shut up and do what you're told!"

"Freeze boy! Drop that weapon immediately!" The police get out of their car and draw their pistols on the vigilante. But the operator of the M1918 rifle swings around and cycles a few rounds at the police officers and hits them both before fleeing in his Mustang Mach 1. The police only suffer moderate injuries because of their heavy police bullet vests that New Vegas Police officers wear as standard, but they are in no able shape of pursuit however. Knuckles, who has stayed in the background despite being the one to swing a punch first, grabs Maria and Jarrell and gets in the back seat while Amy picks up the broken gun and gets in the front seat with Shade then run away to the hotel where they wait for the heat to blow off.

"This is an absolute disaster and this is your fault Shade!" Amy irrational blames Shade over the incidents that have transpired, "You caused all of this to happen!"

"Don't be ridiculous! You kept this all going and we almost lost our heads because of you!" Shade defends herself while the friction between Amy and Shade continues to mount up.

"It's both of your faults!" Knuckles get in on the two girls and begin to put an end on their arguing. "Shade may have only lost her life but you Amy, you could've had all of us killed! You made it escalate up to deadly proportions! The fault is yours!"

Amy, realizing that she had made a bad situation worse, gets upset and faces down in the pillow on the bed and starts sobbing over what had happened. Shade gets up calmly and walks into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her for privacy. Knuckles looks over at Maria and Jarrell in order to think about what to do to get things right again.

Meanwhile, Gris and Claude heard everything from their room next door and prep up to do a little stealing.

"You know, what is the escape plan?" Claude asks his crime partner while preparing his Saiga-12 shotgun for the snatch.

"Simple really, hustles and don't drop them!" Gris replies while he prepares his silenced M4 rifle and snatch bags to stuff the babies in, "Ready to provide room service?"

"Have to eventually." Claude adds on as he eats the sandwich on the serving cart so he can put his shotgun on it before adjusting his disguise, "Now let's go provide a service. We can't keep our guests waiting, they may file complaints."


	36. I Look Like Reggie-Do You Think So Mr?

"I don't know who you are, but you look too much like someone I know. Do you happen to be from around here? Do you happen to have a thing called a name?" I speak to the look alike of that little girl I knew as Regina; I don't know why she would ever see me again. She was friends with Regina, the one who I was attracted to and she met me before that little tomboy Echidna I knew as Reggie. Reggie never liked me much but she cared enough to save my ass a few times, I bet because Regina would've had her ass if she didn't do so. I originally called Regina 'Reggie' before being acquainted with Reggie, who I met on uneven terms. Regina's three feet plus partner stuck by her side wherever each Reggie went. But one day, I got to know Regina's partner in crime… one of the 249 he was, went by the name of Vue. Vue didn't like me much at all also, since I was in business relations with Paul, of whom he despised highly regardless of business relations with his family.

Before the massive hit on Fort Knox, Paul and I had a plan to make a massive rip off of the 249 in the process. But once we went through with it, we had to cut communication with them of any type… and yes that meant I had to forget Regina even though I thought she was a lesbian and should've done so a long time ago anyway. On the day of the Fort Knox intrusion, I and Paul decided to lay the Detonating Cord in a formation that would wipe most of them out, well entrap them anyway. We succeeded the betrayal and stealing part part but the 249 all evaded capture despite Paul and me reducing the fort to rubble after we nabbed the cash and trapped them in a vault.

And here I am today, alone and escaped the grasp of everyone. I know we were successful, but at what cost? Hiding and running, but Paul got the better end of the deal in my opinion and made arrangements out someplace with England being his midpoint stop so he can flatten his old hideaway fortress. Paul had a nice Sten Mk. II he shown me once; he shot glass bottles with me and my Thompson SMG that I call 'City Heat' because I rescued it and escaped a burning factory with it. It was owned by a leader of a rivaling crime syndicate which I eliminated for the 249. The wood has singed badly and burned my hand to a first degree burn and I still wonder why the ammo in the magazine did not detonate. But I was young, energetic, and angry then but I have since grown old and tired; worn from a life of crime and a tour in the armed forces. It's a wonder from all the things I've seen not from the armed forces, that stuff has nothing to the life of a criminal. I can never tell the good and bad apart anymore with these fogged eyes.

Oh great, this Regina look-alike speaks Pig Latin and I don't understand a damned word. The only word I could understand from this cackling thing is the word 'Rain'… which is very helpful… actually it isn't helpful at all, in fact it's annoying… ear groping, headache inducing, annoying. At least they can't get her on indecent exposure since I dressed her up in my clothes; the sight makes me want to bite my fingers at the maddening thought of her looking so much like Regina. I don't even look at the passenger side of the car just so I can try to forget about the past even though she's looking at me with such goddamned youthful eyes. The 'Regina' I have on the passenger seat pulls out the memento I got from my Regina, which is a spike-studded skin tight necklace, and puts it around her neck with her necklace and says this line in English out of all things to say to me in a language I can understand, "I look like Regina. Do you think I do look like Regina?"

Once that little girl said that tear-jerking line, I swerve off the highway into the sand and put the car out of gear so I can get out and get some distance between me and her. I sit next to the telephone post I almost hit and try to get it together by myself, only to start bawling like a freaking sissy. If I did that around my friends or in the armed forces I would've had been torn apart for it. I just don't understand what's happening, I just don't.

"Did I make you mad?" The woman asks me like a naïve kid, "What is wrong? Did I make you mad somehow?"

"No, just… no." I answer her while keeping her facing my back, "You wouldn't know what it's like to lose something."

"What it's like to lose someone important in your life?" She responds and sounding somewhat digitized, "I am looking for someone important in my life too. Do you know Reggie?"

"Yes I do…" I answer her question right before pausing mid-sentence and realizing that she is looking for Reggie. But could she mean Regina or 'Reggie'? I had to ask her: "How do you know Reggie? Is she blue skinned and just over three feet tall? And how are you speaking English?"

I turn around and much to my disbelief that girl is ticking away on my phone, using the text to speech app which I use to normally make prank calls with. She uses my phone to answer me with a simple, "Yes. Can you help me find her?"

"I don't know how much help I can be at this point. But I'll try to help." I offer her whilst wiping my tears, "What is your name, Click?"

"My name is Rain, the Echidna I saw in the background of your photo is my…"

"Good enough." I say before beginning to return to my car with her following behind, "That's all I can take for one day."

Once I get back in my car and Rain to return to the passenger seat, I hit reverse and head back onto the highway and go over to Vegas so I can give Rain a quick tour of the city. But while in our tour at some point, I got to get some answers from that guy about that white box. Good, he's awake because I can hear him flipping out in the trunk. I wonder how slapping his ass around will work?


	37. A Stolen Legend (Fastest Wreck On Earth)

The GR-X… what a crime I've committed to get it. The Racer Family thought they could get rid of something this fabulous is certainly foolish! But I have no intentions of even doing anything with it, the engine and the wrecked body remains in there, in the corner of my shop. I have only shown it to a little kid and maybe my neighbor once while we drank and played pool next to it. I was never proud of myself because of how I got it.

It all started in 1967 when I saw the car on the slide bed of a truck; I had heard the news of the car and the engine and had to see it for myself. An overseas trip later I saw the wreckage on the truck heading for a scrap yard, but I gave them a change of plan. You want to know how? Simple, I stole the slide bed truck while the driver was at lunch in a busy restaurant by bashing the driver's window with a close by rock and drove off in it by hotwiring the ignition. After unloading the GR-X engine and the car body that contained it into a freight container, I ditched the truck in a ditch of a faraway irrigation trench for a rice paddy and fled. Watching the shipping container being deposited into the ship, I went to the airport and escaped back home overseas.

After picking up the wrecked car with the GR-X from home port, I placed the car out of the container and into a big, windowless van. I haplessly drove by police who never thought about my international steal let alone know about it. Once I returned home, I unloaded the totaled car body along with the GR-X engine and there it remained ever since… but I bet you're curious why the hell I am telling you all of this.

You see, I am a collector and a hot one at that. Once upon a time when I was young I stole cars as a career, if you had enough cash then a car was yours. Not only did I steal them but I also swapped the hot VIN numbers with clean, 100% fool-proof replacements which I took out of wrecked equivalents that were acquired from auctions and wrecking yards. Nobody knew my handy work and to this day the cars I put the untainted numbers on still live in other collectors' collection. I also am responsible for the James Dean car's disappearance; the job was too goddamn easy I add. A simple hoist-and-jet heist was efficient and worked like a charm to get that car out of their bare hands. If I remember right the car's fully restored and went to Italy with new and untraceable VIN, I was responsible for the number swap of course. But as I grew older and older, the heists got stickier, the technology got so high, I had to do so much more to forge new identities for cars, and soon I realized I had to quit… but not before I make one more steal, just as a gift for me. And that gift was the wrecked car containing the GR-X. Oh, a name you ask? I have many but my real name's Fleet 'Lead-foot' Woodland III. And being a 1930's child and I'm old as hell nowadays, try 81 years fresh to be close. I do have two sons but I sent them to a nephew who'll do his best to prevent them from becoming who I am and follow my dirty trade.

But since I know that my health is failing due to the chemicals that I've used over the years and I got some heavy duty lung cancer and I'm not longed for this world, but I can say this one line… I've had a great run and I would do every single thing all over again.

"Well you think you can keep the GR-X canned in here forever eh?"

I hear an unfamiliar voice behind me, but I feel that he knows me somehow and possibly sent here to whack me over for the GR-X. I turn to him and say…

"What makes you think that? I'm just an old man, I don't know shit. Speaking of shit…"

"Drop the act Fleet!" The man becomes hostile and keeps his M3 submachine gun's sights training on me chest so he can give me a shortcut to the afterlife. But I do have a tricky little item on my ring finger.

"But do you want to shake my hand for I am the current owner of this fabled car and engine?" I do some faux-reasoning with the gun-wielding terrorist before I show him my special trick, "Are you more modern and want to pound it?"

But as I made my hand into a fist to "pound it", so to speak, I quickly clenched my hand and the ring on my ring finger was none other than a six-shot ring pistol that hole punches a 5mm bullet into the criminal's head and killing him.

"Well I think you prefer to "bag it"." I do say so myself before chuckling at the failure of a criminal, but for some reason I sense a great pain in my chest. I think the excitement of doing a criminal activity was too much for my heart to stand for. I think I'm smoked and about to meet my long awaiting maker now. I guess most people would stereotypically say the "it's not fair" crap at this point but I don't give a shit, I'm happy with how my life turned out and I have no complaints. Only if I did one thing, rode in a rebuilt GR-X. But I'm sure something bad would happen and with it being wrecked for so long only made its life a hell-of-a-lot longer that it would have. I guess when you leave things broken, they seem to last longer. But I'm over and I don't care, at least I had it for so long…

Good night everyone… you now knows who I was… Fleet Woodland III… or Lead-foot… takes your pick for it doesn't matter now. I've done my work and it's my time to punch out.


	38. Some Kind Of Terrible(Babies & The GR-X)

"We got those little shits!" Gris says while he has his niece and nephew in his lap with Claude driving at the wheel.

"Remember that you're changing them and in charge of their care, not me. I don't want to be at any fault at all over them Gris." Claude responds to his partner in crime while they head to an empty warehouse where they will meet up with someone important to them. Inside Gris' grandparents patiently await for him.

"Back so soon, I think things went very smoothly?" Gris' grandma asks while looking at her great-grandchildren that Gris currently possesses. "Aw… they're absolutely fantastic! They're perfect for the future of all of us!"

A surprise to Gris and Claude, an investigator police car enters the building and parks next to Gris' grandparents. Stepping out of the driver's door of the car is a woman with blue hair styled big and inflated and shades that make her fashion 1980's retro styling. Exiting out of the passenger side is a bat that at one point had black fur but has since faded to a dusty jet black, his chrome aviators and washed out blue jeans don't help him look any younger or at least his age difference in comparison to Gris. But Gris knows damn well who he is; he's none other than the fifth child out of the 249 whose name is Wager and his partner in crime is Regina. But for some weird, unexplained reason, Regina doesn't like Gris much if at all despite Gris and Wager having no conflict.

"Hi Wage, eat any good doughnuts lately?" Gris jokes with Wager who rolls his eyes at even the thought of himself eating a doughnut.

"I don't eat doughnuts Gris and you know it." Wager responds surprisingly serious even though it was obviously a joke, "Doughnuts are diabetes rings and I'd be a dead motherfucker before I eat one! I don't eat junk food because I always feel like a bag of shit within a few minutes. I take it Claudia there hasn't betrayed you yet?"

"So Regina, how's the GR-X coming along?" Gris and Wager's grandmother asks Regina who Regina and Wager came back from examining the Fleet case.

"The car's a complete wreck and has maintained its condition from the 1967 crash, the engine appears undamaged surprisingly. It'll easily take billions to revive it!" Regina tells Gris and Wager's grandmother about the car, which Gris and Wager's grandparents are interested in for their plan.

"Oh that's nothing to us and you know it!" Gris and Wager's grandfather while he exposes his fanged Cheshire grin and concocts something terrible in his mind before he plays airplane with Jarrell. Maria waves her hands around excitedly as she sees her brother being hoisted up by her great-grandfather.

"They'll become world famous and be behind the wheel of the fastest car on Earth!" Gris and Wager's grandfather says while Jarrell giggles happily while he's pretend flying. "I wonder what they'll be like when they are transformed into late teenagers."


	39. Tight Grip (Necklace Part 1)

400 Years Later at the future Rouge Manor.

"This must be the place, it's quite the manor." A red haired man in a tan long coat speaks to himself while he holds a necklace that is to be handed over to a resident of this gigantic structure, "Well, that… thing wants me to hand it over to his… family member. I better get this over with so I can get paid for my ship's maintenance and leave."

The red-haired man keeps walking up to the huge mansion, unknown to him, a little white furred hedge-bat child watches him through some close by bushes. The girl keeps pace and stalks him like an albino vampire who enjoys the sun's rays despite needing protection from it unusually frequently, but today's the kid's lucky break as the sky is heavily overcast today and she doesn't need the usual treatments of skin protection or medicines and procedures before going outside. But unknown to the little girl who is curiously watching the red scalped visitor; she is snatched from behind by another relative. She begins to panic and fight back but she figures out that who snatched her is none other than her grandpa and stops her squirming.

"Hush… did I ever teach you that what you're doing isn't polite." The little hedge-bat girl begins to feel bad because of the scolding she's getting from her grandparent, "I should paddle you but I think you get the message without doing something extra."

"But… but… Shadow… (Sniff) he's not allowed here." The child starts her immature whining complete with teary eyes, "I don't know why I'm doing it wrong?"

"Calm down Shine and stop the water works, which is not what big girls do." Shadow administers his daughter's child. "You're not doing it wrong; it is why you're doing it that's wrong here. In fact, you do it too perfectly."

The long coated human makes it up to the steps of the mansion where a shining silver and white male hedge-bat in a complimentary white and silver suit awaits the man in the long coat with the red hair and welcomes him politely and takes him into the sizable manor.

"Welcome Mr.… Gene Starwind." The suit-donning hedge-bat greets and acquaints himself with Starwind while he takes Gene to where he needs to be, "I am Die A. Monde, or you could call me "Diamond" if that suits your taste. Isn't that witty Mr. Starwind, Die A. Monde? It's a semi-sophisticated way of the word diamond, they share the same homophone. My mother thought up of that name when she was in the process of my nativity. She was an expert thief and treasure hunter, despite her lack of royalty she was oh so very sophisticated woman. Did you know that in her later years she made a book on how to use sexual devices, mainly dildos, in exciting ways and it became a best seller and sold billions of copies? She even released an audiobook with herself reading it and even a six hour video with the help of her husband who so happens to be my father. The lengthy video also gave my parents universe records for longest act of sexual intercourse as well as longest video shot in a single take and it still stands to this day. If memory serves me right, I and my impeccably unconditionally kind sister Crystal, or Kris for short were conceived during the video. No wait, I was conceived because Kris would've been almost one year old. So how about you Mr. Starwind, what is your background? I hope I'm not making you rather bored with my family's tales."

Gene, who is beat from hearing Die A. Monde for such an unexpectedly extended period of time, takes a full minute to come up with this small response: "Um, well… let's see… um… my dad was a starship pilot who was lost in a raid and my mom was a…"

"Oh that's right, I remember now… your mother was a maid here!" Gene's short reply restarts Die A. Monde on another very long speech. "She was also kind and caring despite being very crass and sometimes had an episode of rudeness now and then. I think she was also carrying you at the time if memory serves me right; she was a treat for Kris' daughter Shine because she always made her happy and kept an eye on her while she was healing up from blessing the world with Shine's life. Kris' heart is unusually slow and her body heals slower than most, but if you make her rather upset, you will never forget it. So how is your mom? We haven't seen her or heard from her in years upon years."

Die A. Monde continues his talking and somehow doesn't run out of breath while he navigates Gene through the huge manor until they reach a certain door. Waiting for Gene is the woman who was to be the recipient of the previous owner's necklace, who was her brother that was older by less than a minute. Die A. Monde opens the door for Gene to let him into the room. Gene, finally free from Die A. Monde, sees that a woman in a kimono with a whitened face and black hair, a cat-girl in a tight green/brown outfit with white hair, and a black haired, pale skinned woman in a white collared shirt with dark leggings and black short shorts all sitting down and waiting for somebody to exit the walk-in closet of this enormous bedroom.

"Um… I apologize if this took me a little long but this outfit's form fitting. It used to be my mother's favorite one to wear." A shy womanly voice apologizes to the three awaiting girls who wanted to see her put it on.

"It's okay Kris! These tight outfits take a long time to put on even for someone as flexible as me!" The white haired woman speaks while adjusting her upper white chest part of her dominantly green/brown outfit, "My breasts have been feeling different lately, they just haven't felt right since I spent time with Jim. I think they're getting a bit…"

"Big? Sounds like someone's the p-word, you really do like Jim that way. Am I correct?" The kimono wearing girl teases the girl in the tight green/brown outfit which the comment flares her up and gets a response out of her.

"I'm not pregnant! My body's just changing." The white haired woman barks and doesn't believe that to be a possibility.

"Uh… okay… her I come girls. I'm ready." The shy female inside the closet makes her exit and the other girls are surprised of her appearance. Her snow white fur, her green eyes, and being inside a skintight black outfit with a heart shaped chest plate that keeps her inherited breast size from exposure makes her a splitting image of her mother. Despite being a hedge-bat like her five other siblings, her hedgehog qualities are almost non-existent as far as physical appearance goes. To the untrained eye, one would think her mother has returned to life.

"Wow Kris! You sure look amazing in that outfit!" The woman with the black hair and the white collared shirt congratulates the white hedge-bat girl on pulling it off; even the white haired girl is impressed that the hedge-bat girl didn't burst the outfit.

"You look great, but I'm the only other girl in this room that could pull it off." The white haired woman says which highlights her frequently overly enflamed ego.

"I beg to differ on that one." Gene responds while he looks down at the black haired woman in the white collared shirt who is absolutely overjoyed to see that Gene made it back okay.

"Gene! I missed you so much! I'm glad you're okay!" The black haired woman hugs Gene passionately and Gene returns with a hug back but instinctively places a hand on her buttocks while he locks lips with her.

"I missed you too Mel!" Gene finishes his niceties and looks over at the hedge-bat in the black tight outfit, "So this must be Kris. Emerald wanted me to give you this necklace."

"Thank you… Gene…" Kris replies to Gene while getting a little warm in the outfit, "I gave Mel… fi… nah… the money that… you wanted…" Kris shakily holds out her hand to Gene for the necklace, but as soon as the necklace landed in the palm of her hand, Kris falls onto her knees and begins to grow even warmer. Kris' cheeks begin to grow red and she begins to pant. "Thank… you… Gene…"

"Is she okay?" Gene doesn't know what to think of Kris and what's happening to her. "She's acting like…"

"I guess the suit's tightness is making her… excited." Mel deducts as she was warned by Kris that this might happen due to her body's high sensitivity. "Kris warned us that she's very sensitive and this suit makes her aroused."

"Please… some… one… please" Kris pants and gasps from the suit gripping her womanhood tightly and the strictness of the outfit on her is driving her ready for pleasing, Kris lays down with embarrassment that there's people watching her like this and pleas to them, "Help…"


	40. Of Nightmares & Stars (Ravens Tale Pt 1)

"Grandpa, when will they show up and visit?" A black bird looks up to her hulking and hunched over grandfather who is finishing up reading the paper with a tobacco pipe in his beak, he puts down the pipe and the paper and looks down at his granddaughter and tells her something that isn't good at all let alone assuring.

"I'm afraid they have been attacked by the 250, who is a powerful group who has long existed and their family and bloodline has always been bittersweet with ours." The bird begins to tell her granddaughter the acrimonious answer to her question, "I remember the bat… Wight was his name… I had murdered his father for stealing the shard of the eighth with an executing shot of .45-70, that shard I protected then is the very shard you possess today. I have entrusted you with the shard for I know that when they try to search for it and break the trust because of their embedded greed, you will be far away and safe with our little secret. I'm sorry that I had to tell you this, but you wanted to know and I gave you your solution."

"Do you know what will happen to those children?" The black bird begins to feel discontent with her grandfather's answer, "Where are they? Are they in safe hands?"

"They are in danger, but there will be an act of deceit in the ranks where they will temporarily be in even greater danger, but a very confused group will save the babies and will be in possession of safer hands and be out of harm's way for a small frame of time… but that's as far as my sight can see for their fate. But I do see something horrendous coming from this…"

"Will the children die!?"

"Even worse Morwenna, they will be exposed too much to the power of Chaos and become something else. Like the monsters in your nightmares, they will become the very things only heard of in myth and lore. But that will not be for a while so worry not Morwenna. However, we must attend the very important meeting for our people. So you must dress your best and we must make our leave."

As Morwenna and her grandfather make their leave from their glass house in Rhyolite, Morwenna's grandfather has his granddaughter put on a blindfold so she doesn't see the deceased SPEC agents that were carelessly left behind and take her to the New Vegas Airport where they await an executive flight on a private jet because ravens are allowed private jets in order to minimalize the threat on their already sparse numbers from terrorist attack. But on the flight, Morwenna meets her parents who own a banking branch of the worldwide banking agency, Pursuit banking. Morwenna, excited to see them again for a long time runs up and gives a big hug to her surprised parents.

"Mommy, daddy, I didn't expect you to come along." Morwenna cries to her parents while they didn't expect their daughter to be on the same flight. "Did you miss me?"

"Don't be ludicrous Morwenna!" Morwenna's mother says while thinking that her daughter has been too starved of her parent's attention because of her work, "Of course we did! We have been working so hard for your future! We got so many things waiting for you to play with when you come home and even a big room for grandpa if he wants to move in. Isn't that right, Reese?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Morwenna's dad says casually as if he doesn't care about his daughter's condition or if she's even here and hungry for father/daughter interaction.

"C'mon Reese, our daughter's here and she's missed us so much! Have a heart for her and say 'hi'." Morwenna's mother grits her husband who looks over and places his child on her lap.

"Well, well, if it isn't going to be Miss Oxford!" Morwenna's father begins talking to his daughter as if she's an employee receiving a prep talk, "You are going to the best college that money can buy and you will be taught the best and make a fantastic living for your chicks and not disappoint them. You will get everything your little heart desires and real life necessities require and also get the biggest, fanciest class ring, and you will be a great daughter for you hard working mother and father and be great as can be to your grandfather for he is easily 200 and you shouldn't play with him too hard. You think you can handle it like a grown up woman for your family?"

"Yes I can father!" Morwenna happily obliges to her father from hearing all the stuff she's going to get. A child's mind is so impressionable and Morwenna's no exception.

"You are putting a bit much on this little chick's plate," Morwenna's grandfather warns her parents and actually shows concern for his granddaughter, "You don't know when she'll be hit and merged with a being that has resided in the sun's core for billions of years and becomes a body for two entities."

"Are you suggesting that our little Morwenna will become an avatar for a sun deity?" Morwenna's mother questions her father, "That's near impossible to be generous and completely outlandish."

"But you know that it will be Larissa." Morwenna's grandfather assures his vision of Morwenna's future, "You are my daughter and have realized our line's ability. I am considering that you shouldn't get Morwenna's mind too focused on such matters as going to college and be honest with her. She'll realize her power of foreseeing fate minutes before being struck and know that her mother hasn't been 100% with her daughter. Do you like sleeping at night with that on your mind Larissa?"


	41. Heatwave & Dark-Wave (Ravens Tale Pt 2)

"Welcome to the British Kingdom Mr. Dusk Night and little Miss. Morwenna Night." The airport personnel greet Morwenna and her grandfather into the British Kingdom. "I see that you two are here for the Bi-Annual Raven Meet of the World. Master Alan has made living arrangements at London's highest Hotel Complex; you can meet with the rest of your kind there. Hope you two have a great stay!"

"Thank you." Morwenna's grandfather replies while he leaves the airport with Morwenna trying to keep up with him. What Morwenna's grandfather said on the flight here fails to escape her mind and is locked within. This continues to bother Morwenna throughout the day and makes everything she sees appear smaller than her as the sun appears above her head over a building she's next to.

"You know you will have powers of a god… you are not destined to be a member of a dying race but the new owner of this world… a savior of your kind… you will own anything you'll touch, see, or hear… and anyone who defies you will be ashes… if you want a perfect thing… you could order it in over six different ways easy… I am the Sun… the center of the universe… as YOU will be… look at me… I'm above your head…"

A hissing feminine voice speaks as Morwenna gazes into the Sun while an image of a fanged, firebird materializes over the sun and grins at her and for reason gone without an explanation; Morwenna begins feeling hot as if the temperature went from 80 degrees Fahrenheit to an instantly glowing 8,000. Everything seems to be melting and anything everything that has life is reduced to less than ash. The metal objects around her glow white hot and the tarnishing on the bronze statue flashes off as if it was dust.

"Morwenna please awaken! Morwenna, wake up!" Morwenna's grandfather fans his fainted granddaughter with his wing while an ambulance arrives to help the helpless ravens.

"What happened here?" One of the medics exiting the ambulance asks Morwenna's grandfather while they get a stretcher ready.

"She was doing fine, but then she saw a statue." Dusk, Morwenna's grandfather answers while he tries to cool down his granddaughter, "Then she froze in place and response-less for minutes before falling on her back flat, out like a light."

With Morwenna on the stretcher with a bag of ice on her burning forehead and Dusk by his granddaughter's side, they head off to a hospital and try to cool down Morwenna from her personal heat wave meltdown. Within a few minutes, Morwenna regains consciousness but peace of mind is far from reachable. As soon as Morwenna awakes, she grapples her grandpa in blind fear with no logical reason other than something that was devised in her mind, or so the medical staff claims.

"What happened? Grandpa, why am I here!?" Morwenna squeaks at her grandfather while still locked around him with her tight arms.

"You fainted, there's no need to worry. You got hit with way too much heat than you can handle. I should've taken you out of that heavy jacket and clothing but I remember the hotel being closer." Dusk pats and strokes his granddaughter's damp head. "Just calm down and stay low, the cooler air is lower to the ground."

A half hour passes on before Morwenna gets the okay to leave the hospital, Morwenna and Dusk get in a cab because Dusk thinks he should keep Morwenna out of the sun's exposure for as long as possible until he think she can return to normal exposure. The two Ravens arrive at the hotel under the front façade's enormous shade extension. For Morwenna, this is all new to her as she hasn't been to any of this beforehand. Dusk gets his granddaughter's jacket and both of their pieces of luggage and a fellow corvid is seen smoking a cigarette and looks like a guy uninterested in conversation by his black jacket over his black shirt and dark slacks, smoking a Marlboro by the public ash tray. The bird looks down at Morwenna and smirks at the little girl and tells her this really beautiful line…

"We're really just flies on _your_ windscreen, one day we'll simply be ash like this cigarette. One day, 250 will die a violent outburst… one day… there will be many audible screams only fall to silence… one day… there'll be five who'll stand to one's aid… one day… _you'll_ know what I'll mean by the term… all heat grows cold, all fires will die, every drop of burnable substance will be consumed… for nothing… for nothing… but do remember my name little one, Arc Ray Manta."

The frightened little girl runs into the hotel away from the cynical corvid, Dusk replies with "You sure really know how to introduce yourself don't you? I hope she doesn't get lost because of your pleasureful story."

As Dusk heads into the hotel, Arc tells him this last line, "It's not a story, it's a fact we both know we cannot escape despite our vain attempts."

"I know." Dusk responds while he begins to search for his granddaughter in the hotel. Someplace else, Morwenna keeps running until she runs into an unfriendly looking flock of ravens' enormous boom box which is playing Depeche Mode's rare dark-wave song, Fly on the Windscreen. The birds' personal stereo toppling over does more than enough to get their attention. Four birds, all of them notably larger than Morwenna outnumber, out strength, and surround her. One of the four corvids has his beak painted in white and looks like a skull and leans over her and screeches at her but not loudly to make a scene but just enough to get the point across.

"So you don't like Depeche Mode?" The Skull Raven begins to pick Morwenna apart with his words, "But I think we can change that. You're very young and very dumb and need to be taught. Isn't that right Ivy?"

"Oh yes… I think we can make her feel the pleasures of dark-wave and be one with us instead of the machine." The second corvid with fangs dripping blood painted on her beak scalds with a ladylike Victorian British accent. "Be one with us or be rubbish, isn't that right Vincent?"

"You must be the little bird that Manta speaks about all the time." The third raven that has white paint speckled on his head feathers and two equal bar stripes on each side of his beak raspingly rhymes with an arid jeer at Morwenna, "If you're the little witch then shows us a magic trick or you'll get a sliming and griming. If you think fairy dust will take care of us, then we'll break that fabricated trust with the big guy's bust and leave you out to rust, so it's best not to make a fuss!" But the biggest one out of the four grabs Morwenna who is easily smaller than the massive raven's wing and picks her up to his eye level. Morwenna's about to faint as the unusually large bird does not have a shiny beak like a traditional bird but one of a matte, reflection-less finish and his feathers are very long and cover his whole body like a Thick & Full Evergreen Tree. The only part of this bird that is visible other than his barely visible beak is his two big eyes that must have seen things that no other earthly being has seen. The massive corvid takes a deep breath that almost sucks in the smaller, younger counterpart in his grasp and with full lungs; the black bird begins to growly speak in a language that sounds like grunting and has never been heard of for multiple millennia while his grip tightens on the little bird in foreign, non-understandable anguish.


	42. Alone In A Trunk (Ravens Tale Part 3)

"Please leave my granddaughter alone fellow corvids! What she done was a complete accident so can you all please just let her walk?" Dusk pleas to the troubled, dark-wave influenced group who are mere seconds away from reducing Morwenna to a feather headdress. Dusk then notices the big golem of a raven who he remembers from a distant encounter long ago in Dusk's past. "You, do you realize who I am? Please let her go, she has nothing against you or your new friends. Please, drop her now."

"Big guy, drop the kid. Not today but eventually you'll have your chance to do so." Manta stops the big raven that has a burning desire to crumple up the little Morwenna like paper. But despite his wants, the big blackbird drops the kid as Manta ordered him to do so. Morwenna retreats to her grandfather's side hastily and hides behind his legs.

"Ray, you're making a mistake by betraying the code you've been portraying for us to display." Vincent the paint speckled raven gruntingly growls in rhyme at Arc's decision to spare Morwenna from corporal punishment by the group, "What the hell dipped into your well-defined conscience?"

"Vincent, I'll explain it all to you, Ivy, Skull, and the big guy later." Manta responds and makes his group stand down for now. Manta looks over his shoulder and tells Dusk and Morwenna, "This is the part where you two split." And Dusk and his granddaughter show no hesitation to make their exit.

After a wonderful complimentary dinner, Dusk and his granddaughter enter their luxurious hotel room and put their cases on the bed. With a full gut, Dusk falls asleep swiftly with the T.V. left on the channel that plays music videos but a new channel that isn't MTV or VH1 since the two channels rarely, if ever, play music videos anymore. The channel begins playing an earlier song by the dated group, The Cars. Even though the music video is of the simpler, no-nonsense tune "Since You're Gone", the music video is fairly abstract with stuff disappearing from the two story house while shoes and appliances walk or roll outside by themselves. With the music video over, and Morwenna still awake after watching that, she decides to walk out of the room quietly and slink to the end of the hall to get a bottle of Coca-Cola. While she tries to reach up and attempts to press the cola button, a stranger's black, feathery hand presses the button for her and a bottle pops out of the vending machine.

"Thank you Mister." Morwenna says while she grabs the bottle and far before Morwenna can realize the danger that she's in, gets sucked into a darkened bag and sealed in it. Trying to find an escape, Morwenna soon figures out that she has just been kidnapped and hearing the captors' voice clues her in as who she is captured by.

"Somewhere in the next few minutes we will find out all about you. But first we'll start off with a little game…" The captor's voice speaks as he slams the bag Morwenna's trapped in into the trunk and the car's spare tire hits Morwenna's small head which knocks her immediately unconscious. The car has a license plate from Arizona with the licensing text spelling out "729DART" on the plate. The car is a deep Racing Green with a matte finish black hood, factory colors for what the car is… a 1967 Dodge Dart.

As the Dart exits the garage, the gate guard greets the driver, "Don't be out too late Mr. Manta, you got a meeting tomorrow."

"Thank you for your concern," The driver of the Dart replies while tightening the dated seat belt, "I'm just going to the corner store." The car rolls out to the street and peels out some rubber while it aggressively heads off for a highway speeding with an unconscious passenger in the trunk.


	43. The Truck Driver

"Well mister, your truck will be repaired within an hour." The mechanic says to a figure wearing a big rimmed Akubra and a duster which haven't been cleaned in a very long time and all look brown with dust contamination.

"Sounds great, see you within an hour, I'll be back for my truck." The man under the hiding duster and Akubra replies with a natural, manly voice before heading out for an extended walk. The man in the duster soldiers on for a while until he enters a neighborhood that looks like something you would find in a Ken & Barbie catalog or in those picture perfect houses seen in The Home Depot ads. The man under the duster picks a random house that the only difference between it and the others is a different coat of paint and the 2012 BMW 328i with a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette parked out front. The man walks over to the gate and opens it up casually as if he owned this house. As he enters the house through the back door, he grabs a shovel and walks into the kitchen and pilfers the fridge for sandwich meat, cheese, and condiments, all contact was done with leather gloved hands. Then grabbing a foot long loaf and slicing it with a kitchen knife, the intruder fits all of the meat, cheese, and ends and pieces he could fit and boldly eats it in a minute. Once done with the sandwich, the man dives back into the fridge and hastily downs a jug of orange juice which he doesn't even make mouth contact with the pitcher and consumes it faster than the sandwich beforehand. Finally aware of the intruder in his house, the home owner who is a late 20-year old male human, threatens the hungered burglar.

"What cha doing in my house bro?" The younger man gets tough with the man under the duster, who he cannot see the invader's face because of the Akubra and not turning on the light, "You want to come at me!?"

Faster than any human could possibly react, the man in the duster smacks the home owner across his head with the steel end of the shovel that results with an instant knock out. The duster man then gives an extra swing on the young man's head for good measure which makes the shovel ring loudly.

"Doing as I please, to answer your question. And I am an expert hypnotist too. But the shovel works worlds better than a swinging pocket watch." The housebreaker quips while he waits by the hallway for the housewife that he was aware of since he saw a picture of the couple on the beach.

"Honey, what was that…?" The concerned wife shows up only to not know what hit her, the shovel smacks the wife in the face at a speed near 75 M.P.H., another instantaneous unconsciousness-inducing swing. The shovel made a noisy ping when the wife got a face full of steel shovel.

"That was the shovel coming out at you, never mind the guy at the other end of it." The duster man wits before swinging at her head once more for good measure, "Don't worry, this never even happened. You'll have a migraine for a few days but you'll make a full recovery."

After robbing the couple of some of their edibles and knocking the said couples out, the invader makes his exit and places everything where it was before on his way out. He also stole the paper money out of the couples' wallets too for his hypnotizing services.

"Well mister, your trucks ready to hit the road again." The mechanic says to the returning man under the Akubra and the duster, "That'll be $500 for the turbo replacement and radiator hose servicing." The duster wearer hands over the $500 and gets the keys for his truck back from the mechanic.

"Have a good day and good luck on the road." The mechanic good byes his customer, completely unaware of what he did for the past hour.

"Thank you, you do the same." The duster man responds while heading out to his truck, which is the Peterbilt 281 tanker, the same truck that Amy's dad, David dueled with yesterday. The Peterbilt roars back to life and hits the road only to wait at a truck stop further up Interstate 15 and smoke a cigar, patiently idling.


	44. In A Corner (Ravens' Tale Part 4)

"I going to fuck her up good like the world should've." Vincent rags along while getting himself ready to kick some premature tail feathers about like a football. "She should've been snuffed a long time ago… tough!"

"Well don't be the one that does Vincent." Ivy warns while she warms up herself for giving the preteen an unforgettable ass kicking. "But if she's going to be the ender, than I'd rather get a few punches thrown in as well."

While Ivy & Vincent prep up and get flexible, Skull and the colossally large raven prefer to sit in the bed of their tan/brown two-tone 1979 Ford F-250 and just let the physically lesser do the damage for Skull and the massive corvid could easily break bones without trying or exerting much strength, especially those that are hollow such as ones that are common in birds' skeletal structures. The group waits patiently out in the courtyard of the Tower of London for Manta to return, who is on his way driving recklessly in his 1967 Dart in the quiet London streets for which the Police or the London Tower's guardsmen cannot do anything about because of the Earth-wide accepted immunity that ravens are entitled to due to the worldwide population being less than 2,000 and the population spread so thinly over the landmasses and continents.

Arc Ray Manta hails from the deserts of northern Arizona and works at the Starstorm New Vegas as a side job; Manta got his hands on his 1967 Dodge Dart after stealing it from a local wrecking yard's used car lot and everything has been touch and go ever since. A few years ago, Manta upgraded his Dart from his 3,000,000 mile well used up Dodge 360 for a brand new under-hood screw supercharged 426 HEMI that gets him to anywhere that has roads which he prefers to drive over 150 MPH without safety equipment let alone a roll cage, helmet, or even safety belts for that matter.

The first friend Manta met that was the same species as he was Vincent, who was trying to kill himself in a car crash with his Corvette after losing a long time childhood friend in an altercation at a Miami Dance Club the week earlier and cracked under the depression and loss. After almost wiping the front end off of Manta's Dart and hitting head-on a concrete barrier in the T-Section where Vincent wrecked in a spectacular wreck, Manta pulled out a thrashed and bloodied Vincent and took him to a hospital where over 65% of his skeleton was rebuilt in lightweight aluminum alloys. Manta filled and signed the paperwork for Vincent was far too nervously broke down to say anything or decide for himself. As a way to help Manta know more about Vincent, Manta took a near suicidal Vincent for a walk on the beach because that's what the doctor at the hospital recommended to do not to mention keep an eye on him at all times. The beach turned out to be Vincent's favorite beach, and the first thing he told Manta was that he almost had it all once upon a time here. Manta then looked at Vincent's Driver's License that the medical staff gave Manta back at the hospital and took Vincent to his house to get his stuff or whatever he had left and Vincent has been by Manta's right hand ever since. Manta makes sure to never take Vincent back to Miami in order to avoid a possible relapse. Sometimes Vincent can be seen hugging himself as if he trying to shield an invisible person from some sort of imagined danger but it may be cringes from his flesh being rejoined to aluminum alloy instead of the bone it used to be.

After meeting Vincent, Manta then met Ivy, who was called that at the pub she worked at someplace in Wales due to her signature trick of spiking men's as well as women's drinks with a substance that would make them nauseated and have a migraine headaches if they started hounding her and called her suggestive or derogatory names and words. Despite working at such a lower classist place, Ivy has an overtly strong self-identity and borders on narcissistic, especially when she starts to act like a spoiled rich kid that she is due to having a family who make billions on stocks in the stock market. Vincent, despite having lost a longtime friend and Ivy being a supercilious woman, Vincent tried his best moves and the two clicked together somewhat despite Ivy resilience to the sappy stuff Vincent was trying. The two seemed to have decent chemistry between one another but Vincent often times is far too drastic when it comes time to punish someone and the worst was seen in him when a person steeped on his white Nikes and Vincent started to beat the living shit out of him with a parking meter he ripped out of some weakened soil and it took all Manta and Ivy to stop Vincent from his psychotic episode. Apart from mental stability, Vincent just cannot afford a woman such as Ivy due to not having much cash to spend and one date cost what Vincent made one week as a male stripper and did that embarrassing job so he could get cash in order to even try for a date with Ivy. But despite these shortcomings, Vincent and Ivy remain friends with benefits and even went the extra mile one time. Manta doesn't worry much about Vincent because Ivy watches Vincent mostly nowadays.

Skull and the monstrous corvid that usually stays by his side met Ivy when Ivy was selected and sent by the Raven Convention last year to retrieve those two from their dying home someplace in what the 20th century populace would call eastern Africa in order to prevent something happening to them. The two resided there for almost a century as to stay safe from the coming-of-age modern world which wouldn't accept Skull's freakishly huge friend and possibly be hunted down by all sorts of hunters and the disliking city populace. Skull was not even 10 years of age when he had known where his enormous friend lived only to guide the big bird across continents to keep him away from everyone so he can be left alone. According to Skull's story, the giant raven flew with him on the back as navigator and had been mistaken as a plane a couple of times on the journey by the new coming aircraft that flew by and almost collided. Skull also claims that his huge friend is as old as Rome and has even seen Julius Caesar and watched the chariot race, but it does go without saying that Skull can cut a quite spectacularly fantastic line of bullshit as Manta needed Skull's talent of the spoken word a few times this past year. With Skull and his old friend's things packed, a CH-47 was sent with the coordinates from Ivy's beacon to collect herself, Skull, and the giant old bird that had a hard time fitting inside the cargo helicopter. A long flight to England later, Skull and the gigantic corvid had since become permanent residents at the hotel the ravens go to spend the night before the international committee bi-annually and have the top floor for their own private use and in order for the vastly sized raven to fly, which he has done only one time with the entire English populace having a cow and going into mass hysteria, has to wear a collar containing a radio and beacon so he does not get struck by aircraft in case he decides to fly.

Meanwhile, Manta finally shows up with the rest of his group in his 1967 Dodge Dart with their unfortunate target in the trunk of the Dart. Manta walks to the back of his car and pops the trunk open with an insert of the key and the flick of a wrist. Manta grabs the bag and chucks it across the field carelessly but with Manta's hand on the bag's string, the bag opens up midair and Morwenna falls out of the bag and hits the ground bottom first. Morwenna looks around to see that she is in a completely different part of London, far from the hotel but very close to the ravens she upset earlier. In fact she outsized and outnumbered by her captors. Morwenna at first is scared of her kidnappers but turns to fighting back and punches Ivy as hard as her little arm would allow in her English muffin, which Ivy instantly folds like a petite chair for she has never been hit in her womanhood that way before. Vincent becomes angered that a little kid hurt his best friend and tries to take the child on while screaming, "You little shit! It doesn't work that way! I'll teach you not to hit a lady in there!" Vincent gets a running start and charges with a fist cocked back but his swings dashes over Morwenna's head which she uses the marginal miss as an opening to grab Vincent's tongue from his open beak to swing up and use all of her miniscule strength to kick Vincent in the sternum with both feet, putting him well out of commission. With Ivy and Vincent down and out by a child, Manta readies himself for his turn but unlike his friends, Manta remains cool to the touch and doesn't show a bit of stress or intimidation to the small challenger before him. Morwenna, far less calm than Manta charges at him at full speed but Manta casually scoops her up and keep her momentum and runs into the steel chrome back bumper of his car. The solid collision with American steel puts Morwenna on the ground and dizzy from the impact. Manta puts his foot carefully on Morwenna's chest before proceeding to crush her slowly.

"I guess this is the way shit has to be," Manta speaks with unquestionably no resentment for his current actions, "it seems you'll be stomped out like a cigarette you little fowl."

But unknown to Manta and his group, Alan watched the whole scenario unfold and since has found a good time to interfere. With a trained aim and a silenced L85A2 rifle, Alan zeros in on Manta's foot that is on the grass and bursts a few shots around it. Manta jumps off and looks around to see where the shots came from.

"You know Manta; I have half a mind to kill you right now and your whole troupe here." Alan says while ditching his red coat disguise while keeping his arm trained on Manta, "Why don't you just leave the kid here and I'll take care of matters before I cite you for the endangerment to our already very limited numbers."


	45. Competencies (Ravens' Tale Part 5)

"Giovanni… I'd thought I'd never see your face around here. What is your business at this Bi-Annual Raven Committee?" A receptionist at the front counter addresses a male black bat who is asking for permission to be a representative for a supposed attendee who has since fallen ill.

"Madame Yama has fallen a bit ill and has since failed to get better in time for this bi-annual." Giovanni answers with a note he has been sent over with from Madame Yama which Giovanni hands the note over for the receptionist to read, "But she does send her condolences for her inability to attend."

"I'll give her a call just to be sure this claim is valid." The receptionist responds while only doing what's protocol in case of need of representation.

"You do that, but I must warn you, she will not be very happy that you're bothering her over this." Giovanni warns the receptionist who is new to this job and doesn't know about Giovanni's long standing affiliation with Madame Yama. The receptionist dials in the number listed for Madame Yama, which begins to make Madame Yama's phone begin to ring at the other end. Madame Yama picks up the phone, expecting that they would call her.

"You must be that new stupid asshole aren't you? Don't bug (wheeze) me and let Giovanni be my (cough cough) rep." Madame Yama hoarsely responds to the call and sounding very evident of signs of illness as well as anger for being bothered during her recovery. "Think you could do that without tripping on (deep breathe) yourself? In fact, Giovanni is also granted the immunities of the laws like I am since he is my representative according to the committee's rules. Is that correct or did you overlook that too?"

"I know all about that Madame, I have to call you because of protocol not to mention granting a non-corvid our freedom is a very controversial subject." The receptionist replies while trying not to fold at the Madame's scolding despite her being ill. "Do you mind sharing what your illness is?"

"I have been (wheeze) exposed to a rare type of mold and I'm currently in recovery of that exposure." Madame Yama responds seriously to the receptionist on the phone, "Now let Giovanni be my representative (wheeze) or I'll personally do it myself!"

"No Madame, there isn't a need to do that. I… I'm signing the forms so Giovanni can sign on the dotted line and be your rep." The stricken representative responds while shakily giving Giovanni the papers so he can sign his name.

"Thank you (cough) Mr. Receptionist, I'm sure am happy we can work this out." Madame says very kindly on the phone to the receptionist, "Would you like to come over once I am better?"

"I… uh… I… I'll consider it Madame." The receptionist stutters and is absolutely folded from Madame's instant change in behavior.

"Give me a call if you say yes. Okay, bye." Madame bye-byes the frozen receptionist, Giovanni tosses the signed papers to the receptionist before walking off.

"File that for me will you?" Giovanni hands over with a smirk," What can I say, Madame's always right and she'll prove it!"

Giovanni distances himself far away from the receptionist before Madame Yama contacts Giovanni through his Bluetooth headset.

"Those idiots will buy anything once you display some backbone!" Madame Yama comments, sounding as healthy as can be. "Mind showing that fool Manta my condolences for his failure?"

"I will when I run into him." Giovanni answers while putting on some leather gloves and walks over to the dining area for some food to quench his great hunger. An order of a big burger and a large platter of fries and some orange juice later, Giovanni consumes his meal which relieves his massive famish. In good timing for Giovanni's workout, Manta and his group show up through the hotel's entrance. Cracking his knuckles and neck and getting a good stretch, Giovanni casually gets a refill of orange juice and sips on it while he walks up to Manta as if to greet him.

"Well… well if it isn't Arc Ray Manta himself!" Giovanni greets Manta while keeping happy emotions which are a disguise for his true intentions for Manta, "How have you been?"

"I've been okay, getting ready for the committee." Manta answers, feeling discontent for his failure which he knows he's going to get it by Giovanni. "I'm going to get right?"

"Oh… that's right, you reminded me of that, Bellhop." Giovanni calls a bellhop over for assistance while he adjusts his expensive business suit, "Hold this glass for me. You know Manta there's this old Chun-Nan proverb that starts like this."

Unable to block a punch in time, Giovanni punches Manta right in his left eye with a rock solid right hook and follows up the initial blow with a few more for good measure. Manta retaliates with a dizzied punch but Giovanni only head locks him and proceeds to low blow Manta in the abdomen as hard as he can possibly hit him. Giovanni unlocks Manta's head only for him to pathetically slump to the floor defeated. Giovanni walks a few steps before turning around, realizing he forgot something.

"Oh, there's one last bit of the proverb I forgot." Giovanni says before kicking Manta as hard as he can kick him in the chest. "I send Madame Yama her condolences. Thank you bellhop, here's a tip for holding my glass." Giovanni gives the bellhop a few hundred English Pounds Sterling for holding a glass of orange juice and takes the glass, feeling that it is still as cold as he got it and takes another sip.

"That son of a bitch, I'm going to get him good!" Vincent growls while Ivy holds Vincent back, knowing Vincent can't compete with Giovanni despite that Giovanni is a bat that is only marginally taller than him.

"No you won't, he'll get you like he did Arc." Ivy responds while Vincent peters out and loses his steam. "In fact, I think Giovanni would like to send you to the hospital!"

In Giovanni's hotel room, Giovanni takes a seat and looks out the window that overlooks all of London. While he takes in the view, Giovanni gets a call from his son.

"Hi Giovanni, I'm on the plane that's taking Shadow and Rouge to their mission." Giovanni's son tells his father what's going on. "I know what I need to do, nab the device and the aircraft that is capable of housing it."

"Your success never ceases to please me son." Giovanni answers happily to his son, "You're the first bit of good news I've heard all day, Manta failed so I kicked his ass real good!"

"He's not very successful, maybe he needs to eat right. That should boost his competency."

"You're possibly right son; don't talk to me for long. They may figure us out."

"I know Giovanni."

"Take care son."


	46. Matters At Hand

In a park someplace in New Vegas' suburbia, a Bright Red 1971 Mustang Mach 1 waits patiently with the driver smoking Marlboro cigarettes and wearing a Marlboro jacket that looks all too similar to the ones the 1988 Marlboro McLaren Formula 1 Racing Team wore during the 1988 racing season. Looking all so narcissistic, the patient driver tosses his used cigarette out the window carelessly, almost burning a passing girl's foot with it. Taking notice to his surroundings, the driver sees a 1973 Mustang Mach 1 clad in Raven Black with Gold Flaked Stripes, a paint job similar to the one Hertz Rental Mustangs were painted with back in 1967. The black and gold clad Mustang rolls up next to the red one, the drivers of both Mustangs seem to know each other.

"Well Dennison, I see you and Reggie rekindled the old flame?" The driver of the red Mustang quips while thumbing the paper with his M1918 Browning Auto Rifle sitting next to him.

"Well, she isn't Reggie despite a vast similarity." Dennison replies while giving Rain some money to go pick up some ice cream from the stand down the street. "See that man down the street? Give him the money and go get two vanilla ice cream cones. You can say she fell from the sky Roy."

"Fell from the sky… sounds reasonable. Say, you know that the B-Mafia is getting their hands on these gems that from what they claim have some type of power?" The red Mustang driver, whose name is Roy it turns out, begins talking, "I know they were also trying to nabs these kids of two of G.U.N.'s top agents who are away on a mission someplace. I tried to eliminate them, but if I didn't jet from the police like they did, they would've figured that one of their top inspectors went AWOL which so happens to be me god blessed. Also, Regina and Wager are acting pretty damned shady; I'd figure I can make them… have a little accident once my suspicions about them are confirmed. Say, you want to help me out with something before you jet for good? I'm figuring they're going to hit this exhibit at the pyramid on the strip that so happens to have two of those polished rocks, I'd like to beat them too it so they can get fucked over before their plan whatever it maybe is sabotaged so I can have enough time to find some dirt on them too can their ass. I know Paul will not help for a fact, he just got done blasting through Utah and zipped through Salt Lake City an hour ago."

"I don't know about that, I'm sure we can pull one more little venture before we oust ourselves. But it just that we all know they're much stronger than they were before." Dennison responds while looking at Rain trying to carry two ice cream cones with one hand, "But if this will set the B's back considerably than I'll help one more time."

"Okay, I'll give you a call when we will plan the operation." Roy says before asking a question about Rain, "Is that girl like… you know… like… retarded… or is she a blonde? Do you know anything about that?"

"She's from the sky and that's all I seem to know and want to know." Dennison answers before Rain reaches the car, "I'll take her for a drive to someplace in Arizona. Then pick a hotel room to stay in for the night, and leave her to her own devices. I'll give her this car and some cash to stand on her own with. She nice and all but it's for the best we split."

"That's your conscience getting taken in the ass, not mine." Roy starts his red Mustang and takes off with no hesitation; Dennison waits for Rain to get back in the car with the ice cream. Rain re-enters the car with two ice cream cones and Dennison takes one and bites into it before putting the car in drive.

"What were you and that man talking about? Was it about me?" Rain asks Dennison who doesn't even look over at her when he gives his answer.

"Matters." Dennison plainly replies before taking off down the road in the opposite direction Roy did.


	47. The Mission

So here I am, out stalking the ultimate duo in an ultra-light cloaking armor. I've been following ever so closely, trying to not breathe loud enough for me to be audible. Armed with a silenced experimental Rail-Rifle 14.5mm with only 15 rounds of high explosive anti-armor munitions, a very limited number indeed but I'm handy with a survival knife which is what I'm going to be using most of the time during this mission, and two units of timed explosives. Auntie Rouge and Shadow is after the experimental MiG aircraft which there are two units, with one of them a development mule for the R&D Team and the other one a pre-production model. My goal is to acquire the development mule MiG which is equipped with an add-on port located behind the pilot. But that is merely the preferred escape vehicle, what I am sent to retrieve is three devices, the Chaos Transfer, the Chaos Nullifier, and some type of object called the Frequency Logic Adjuster. From what I understand here's what I know about all three devices since the base is a far ways off…

Chaos Transfer:

Basically a device that imitates Shadow's Chaos Control powers, it took an immeasurable amount of time to design this device. With Dr. Black as the inventor of such an object, this device can put spies out of the job. I know that in order for success, getting this object must be first order of business as it will make completing all others a breeze. I wonder if Shadow can keep up… next one.

Chaos Nullifier:

For your ideal shielding against Chaos based attacks. This little wonder can resist any Chaos based attack, be it as simple as Chaos Spears or as powerful as Chaos Bombs. The catch is while it will resist any Chaos attack, any non-Chaos object interaction with anything bigger than a sugar cube will make the user explode in a violent Chaos-based blast. I must not turn it on unless I must, now for the third one.

Frequency Logic Adjuster:

Although it would be much easier to power this with Chaos, it would also increase the build cost and decrease safety. With that in mind, they built this gadget to be powered by nothing more than ultra-power batteries. What this is theoretically supposed to do is to exert a directed frequency at a certain life form and make you in control of his emotions and possibly make him have more mood swings than his wife during pregnancy. It is possible that you can manipulate his sex drive but it remains unconfirmed. Now this sounds fun to try out!

So those are the devices, will they work when I get them? It's possible but unconfirmed if they do function. Well we are about to find out because the base is in view, now to figure out Auntie Rouge and Shadow's entrance strategy… wait, why is she vomiting? Is she? You can't be serious, sending the impregnated to the field... I hope Rouge can complete this stealth mission.


	48. The Autumn Of King Natas

Mercury…

Alan…

Chaos…

Shadow…

Jarrell…

Maria…

Forms of merely conducive life…

Is this a game?

It don't matter to me what you say…

Words are words… useless…

Mercury may have been a bad choice… but I don't care because I know who to send out…

A must…

I trust…

A semi-formed, other-dimensional being that has the powers of the 4th dimension he's from… and his partner… with no moral bindings and was once a Sadomasochist before his exit of the previous realm and into the 4th dimension… in the year 1989.

STEALTH! SPECTER! Your presence is must!

Mercury has been acting as if he's turned into a liability. Stealth, you are the ultimate hunter; you have done so for all kinds of life and ended such for all you target. Watch Mercury from afar, if he is what I suspect, erase. As for Specter… your mastery of the ultimate dark arts of distorting any believable realm into your own divisive vision…

Jarrell…

Maria…

Watch them…

They will grow quickly…

And Shadow…

Watch him too…

All three of them will be ready for their ultimate forms previously unseen of this world. And with my order… make them!

That is all… my final wish from me, the last ruler of the hot world that is growing colder… King Natas… I deserve… one final show before my fire dies out… I will live to see the closing act of the performance but not much after… curtain fall…


	49. Red Highway

"I can't believe we did it Claude, we pulled it off!" Gris crows about, still in the throes of triumph over capturing Shadow and Rouge's children. Claude is okay with doing a dirty deed but doesn't like Gris' tendency to rub things in. Darting out of an alleyway behind some mini-malls, a Clark County Street Sweeper causes Claude to almost crash the car but thanks to his defensive driving skills, Claude swerves sharply around the city vehicle while the driver shouts profanity and gives Claude the middle finger. But despite not crashing the car, Claude's rough driving makes Gris hit his head on the car's roll bar to his left and then bounce forward and hit his head on the roll bar close to the windshield, both strikes to Gris' large head render him unconscious.

"Gris?" Claude repeats to Gris while he shakes him to wake him only to find no response from him. At first Claude continues on to the next destination as planned but as soon as the on ramp to Interstate 15 shows up, Claude follows through with something a little more self-devised and enters I-15 South and heads for Dagget, CA. While Claude heads for the far out of the way detour over 2 hours away, Claude encounters a weathered and far too dirty Peterbilt tanker truck and tries to pass it, only barely able to pass the big fuel truck speeding over 100 Miles Per Hour. Passing the California/Nevada state border as a blur, Claude notices that the truck they recently passed isn't slowing down to the posted 55 MPH speed limit for vehicles three axles and over but in fact is speeding up instead. The aggressive driving proceeds well within California's section of Interstate 15 up until the traffic almost deadlocks at the Yermo Inspection Facility.

While for automobiles and pickup trucks the traffic is at a crawl due to look overs of the incoming vehicles, the 18-wheeler inspection seems comparatively vacant with the aggressive Peterbilt idling to the open spot in the mandatory inspection lot.

"I understand I'm a career criminal, but that truck… what is its reason for the attempts to run me down?" Claude thinks to himself while he rolls the car closer to the vehicle inspection, amazed that everyone else including the babies is still unconscious, "I didn't make gestures or anything and yet it acts like it has a death wish on me. While I would act out right now, I can't because the environment is flooded with State & National Government workers who are without a doubt looking for drug couriers and smugglers. Dammit, I cannot see what the driver of that truck looks like."

While Claude and his group are stuck to sit out the traffic for automobile inspection, the Peterbilt has all doors open and hood up for the big truck inspection. The driver waits by his truck while the inspectors look over the truck, only to find nothing and have wasted too much time looking over the tanker and a few more 18-wheelers are waiting inspection. The inspection manager apologizes to the Peterbilt driver and closes everything up for him while replacing the contents. The Peterbilt starts up and slinks off slowly with Claude watching the truck and his hearing tuned in on the diesel engine, the gate manager breaks Claude's attention from the truck.

"Welcome to California, where are you from?" The gate manager asks only for Claude to answer with, "Las Vegas."

"Sounds nice; go along." The gate manager lifts the gate and Claude never felt free from something as mundane as an inspection terminal. After exiting the inspection terminal, Claude takes the nearest off-ramp and finds a set of rails to sit by. In less than 10 minutes later, Southern Pacific's Train Number 9950 comes roaring through Yermo with a train going eastward to destinations unknown. Claude takes the sleeping babies and softly sits them in a duffle bag which he will pitch in one of the railroad cars to rid himself of them. With a zip of the zipper and a pitcher's arm, Claude tosses the babies into an open boxcar and watches the train roll along eastward. Just as the train disappears from sight, Claude hears something roll up behind him and much to his surprise; Amy and company have followed Claude all the way to Yermo from Vegas but still didn't see anything of what Claude did with the babies from Shadow & Rouge.

"Where are they!?" Amy shouts in PMS mode with a handgun in hand and ready to shoot a much unarmed Claude.

"I don't know…" Claude begins to answer while acting nonchalant about the situation but Amy goes straight to Option B: Shooting Claude until the gun has no more ammo left. Amy proceeds in cutting Claude down to size by shooting him in the chest repeatedly, but despite taking 13 .45 caliber shots to the chest, Claude stills is on his two feet as if he was made of stone.

"The advantages of a former drug abuser, I didn't feel that at all." Claude says before he topples over, the implacable right hand man has just collapsed, Claude is now no more.

"Did you really have to do that!?" Shade asks with disbelief that Amy is willing to kill at a drop of a hat. "You just committed murder Amy, murder."

"It was just, so shut up." Amy replies with her morality currently shut off, not minding any type of law. "Now let's go, we need to find them!"

On the other side of the highway, the driver of the Peterbilt tanker truck watched all what just transpired through a rifle scope and readies himself for the road again while monologing, "Is it me or have things become red." With a turn of the ignition key, the Peterbilt driver proceeds I-15 North.


	50. Special Altercations

Some days seem to be as if it is only a materialization and extension of your thoughts. It appears though as it is real but it's all actually surreal and ethereal like. Maybe it's just all a twisted game where we are all willing to toss ourselves into the fires to save our asses and get money for being entertainment to the ones unwilling to do so. But why do I question the realism when it's all too unrealistic but people go through it only worried about money and materialism. The woes of the first world only affect those who let it affect them, of which said people have weak resolves and crush under the lightest of weights. Even though I work for the government, I don't believe much at all in it or the people that support it along with those who oppose it. No one is successful even if they know what they want and know how to get there. You can make the map and follow the roads, but can it lead you where you want it to go?

"I got a case for you Agent Gust, I know you'll be able to successfully do this one." My boss comes up to me and hands me a file of a current case, "It has to do with the Shadow family."

"You know me boss, I do not want anything to do with him. You know damn well how the last case involving me and him went down." I respond to my boss and reminding him of my last case involving Shadow T.H. "He thinks I am the man responsible for that entire mess. Are you sure sending me in for this case would be a good idea?"

"Dammit Gust, you know you are the only one viable for this case and you yourself would know that!" My boss gets his point across to me but slightly raising his voice at me only makes matters slightly worse and making us look obvious. "You are not going to contact Shadow directly unless it calls for it, as he is on a mission somewhere else on Earth. Which I should add this would be the best first case for our best candidate to be your investigative partner."

"That hot trigger kid!?" I scoff at the idea of my boss sticking that firebrand young boy with me during a case that requires utmost level-headiness, I remember him during the target session testing his proficiency a few months ago.

"Okay can you try to hit the target this time? Can you hit the target properly or are you just blind?" I ask him while writing down any notes that I deem valuable in assessing his performance.

"I uh... think this gun is not made very well, the um... build quality isn't very good." The candidate responds while trying to look through the sights of the pistol, though it appears he may need corrective lenses to properly see them. "I can do it if I have a well made piece."

"Hmm, are you sure you can see well? It appears you cannot. What do you see and does it appear blurry to you?"

"I can see everything fine! But I think something is off about this weapon. I'm not sure if I am able to do my best with improper equipment."

"The gun is fine, you need corrective lenses. There is no denying that."

"No, I do not need glasses. You want me to prove it?"

The boy was quite flustered when I suggested him to use corrective lenses. He sends the paper target to the furthest end of the indoor range and puts a full clip into the gun.

"Get on the fucking ground motherfucker!" The boy shouts at the target before firing all of the rounds into the target. Impatiently, the boy reels the target back to us and hands it over to me and it is evident that he has fired all of the rounds in the center of the target with a bullet spread no bigger than a half dollar coin. Throughout the shooting range session, it's very apparent that his aim is much more better under emotional distress. However, under said emotional distress, one's judgment is not at it's best and that could lead to unfortunate implications that can sabotage an entire years worth of work on any given case. He said he was a mechanic for G.U.N. but someone higher up in the chain of command decided that it would be a great idea for him to be in this type of work. But I must ask, what the hell were they thinking when they decided that he would make a wonderful candidate for this type of work? He isn't even originally from a position that even would come close to this type of work or have situations like the ones in these cases.

"In fact, he's here waiting in the lobby. Debbie can you call David in?" My boss orders the receptionist to get my potential work partner. "I honestly don't see your problem with having David as a working partner Gust."

"Um... uh... is this where am I supposed to be Mr. Boss?" The boy who so happens to be the one selected to be my potential associate speaks to him kinda like if he's going to have a stroke. Goddamn it, the boy's not gutsy to even talk to his boss normally. "Oh... hello. Um... I was told we have a case together. Correct?"

"You know boss, are you sure he is able for this case?" I ask my boss while I thumb through the information of the case that was in the file my boss handed to me, I see David looking at the information in the file and also invading my personal space doing so. I can tell we are already going to have problems in this case.

"Just let him do some undercover work Gust, he's a face I'm sure Shadow doesn't know at all." My boss advises me about my partner before shifting to David, "In fact, I'm sure he will be invaluable in investigating all about the Shadow family. Think you can handle it David?"

"I'm sure, but I have a question boss." David seems off about a particular paper as he shows it to our boss, "This Amy Rose girl, where is she from? Is the location correct?"

"It's absolutely correct." My boss assures David about the paper which makes David slip something.

"If she is the one I knew of, then am I not able to do the investigation? Potentially due to potential conflict of interest?" David speaks with a sigh about how his first order of work is going to involve someone he knows.

"Did you hear that Gust?" My boss grins at David's confession that seals the deal with my partnership with David, "Dave here knows Amy Rose, she is one of the caretakers of Shadow and Rouge's love children. He is now invaluable to this case. David, get what you need, you are destined to New Vegas via private aircraft at 1500 Hours. Now get going. I got to finalize a few pending issues with Gust in private."

"Uh yes sir." David leaves in a blur, leaving me and my boss in privacy.

"Now Gust, make sure David does not become a casualty. He is no longer expendable in this operation." My boss descends onto me before making his exit, "Don't fuck it up."

And my day has gone to shit since, I'm not one to be disappointed but this isn't right simply because it isn't right. That kid's green as can be, he isn't suited for this job by any means. But what my boss says goes and I cannot say no unless I want to be target practice. After a few hours of flight and holding a conversation with the new agent who is my partner, we arrive at the New Vegas Airport. I went ahead and see if David can pull off a simple act of car retrieval while I think to myself of the current set of circumstances. A few minutes later, I see David in the car rolling up here hastily, he seems unsettled about something. "Hollow Wind, get in!" David conveys to me, I get in the car and throw my belongings in the back seat while David gets moving onto the freeway.

"Amy and her friends are locked up in the New Vegas Police Department jail, I'm sure we can get our info there!" David gets speeding on the freeway and driving recklessly over to the New Vegas Police Headquarters where Amy and her friends are detained.

"Excuse me but I need to see an Amy Rose." David asks the officer at the front desk.

"What's... oh wait, you're one of the specials." The police officer asks before realizing our authority, "I'll take you to her. I'll warn you she's emotionally distressed, so you better keep your guard up. I know you specials have been showing up around these parts lately."

The police officer takes me and David to the jailing section where Amy and her friends are held captive, David naturally picks Amy Rose's cell while I go for Shade who's down the row of jail cells a considerable distance.

"You know Shade, you better spill it." I ask the arrested Shade whose response is not helpful at the very least.

"I am not going to tell you a damn thing." Shade bitterly responds to the agent questioning her.

"You know Shade, you better start talking because with my partner, Amy will spill like the Niagara Falls." I respond coolly while I begin writing down notes on Shade, "How's Tint? You know he wants you very badly."

"Amy's better than that and you know it, she'll only do that for Sonic you idiot." Shade shows a display of aggressive animosity which I also note, meanwhile, David is making quick work of Amy much to Shade's denial.

"You know Amy, I can help you greatly. I may able to get you and your friends out of here free of charge and even today." David begins his sweetening process that he very much excels at back when he was in training for this job. "I know you miss Sonic, Amy. And since we are friends from each others' childhood after all, I'll do my best to help you find those children of Shadow and Rouge's. I know exactly what happened to them and I know you and your friends are innocent."

"But David, even though you were there when I was young. What if I do not help you get your clue?" Amy watches my partner with big, teary green eyes in wanting of his reply.

"Oh my Amy, will there be consequences..." David says while he paces in front of Amy's jail cell and snaps his fingers to an imagined beat. "Very great consequences."


	51. An Embarassing Confession(Wall Detected)

A necessary update.

Hello, I am the author. Ugh... how should I say this... this isn't easy.

I have been busy with other stuff and since time as well as ideas are an issue, I've been noticeably slower in my updates. In fact, I'm in need of help to keep this going because I am only one guy making this and my creativity flow is down because I've hit a grade in thinking of anything storywise.

Now despite this message, I'll still be working on it and I have interest in it. It's just I have less attention for this story because of other stuff going on.

So have a great day and oh, just hit 50,000 words!


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